“The culture of memory versus the politics of history”

Prof. dr. DINO ABAZOVIĆ - sociologist, university professor [Bosnia and Herzegovina]

GENERATION OF LIVED HISTORY

The war does not end with the cessation of the conflict. Survivors continue to carry it deep inside them. The way post-war society relates to war affects individuals and shapes transgenerational memory.

• How has the generation that lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region during the wars in the former Yugoslavia – and especially during the genocide in Srebrenica – experienced and shaped this history in the past 30 years: through personal memories, reflections, but also through narratives in the media, films, books, textbooks and rituals of remembrance?

"There is an almost completely accepted consensus among scientists that individual and collective memories are less understood as spontaneous, natural or sacrosanct acts, and more as social and cultural constructs that change over time and have their own history. I myself belong to this generation in which the past is not only present through this form of informal mutual communication — social memory or memory "from below" — but is also constructed in teamwork, that is, it forms social memory through all the elements listed in the question."

A GENERATION BORN IN HISTORY (THOSE BORN IN 1995)

Thirty years later, we are once again witnessing the shaping of history amidst political manipulations of narratives. That is why transgenerational memory is required to carry a culture of remembrance and responsibility to the truth – in the name of future generations who must learn how peace is built and preserved.

• How does a generation born in the year of the Srebrenica genocide today understand this history? And how did growing up in this heritage shape their sense of identity, memory, and responsibility?

"And this generation is one of at most three to four generations that is part of the so-called "memory talk", i.e. conversational remembering. Although they generally do not know the past, and they fear the future, this generation is much more significantly influenced by the political memory (or memory "from above") anchored in political institutions, which strives for long-term duration. This brings us to one of the key problems in dealing with the past - the culture of memory versus the politics of history. I want to believe that despite the bad atmosphere, the culture of memory will overcome the politics of history."

TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY DYNAMICS (1995-2025)

Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina is still marked by war traumas. Prevailing ethno-national policies keep citizens in fear, under constant threat of a new war – for their own interests. Politics has instrumentalized trauma.

• How – and whether – generations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the regions that lived through the wars in the former Yugoslavia, especially the events of 1995, and the generation born that same year have shaped mutual understanding of the past? To what extent are their views aligned today – and how do they differ?

"The politics of the past and the politics of history are actually located in the context of the theory of cultural hegemony. The politics of history (which is actually placed in the political realm - where different actors not only try to use history for specific interests but also for concrete political gain, and which is related to political memory) is a process that reveals forces and contradictions that fight for the hegemony of discourse and interpretative models. But actors are not only political-administrative, but all individuals and interest groups who have privileged access to the public political sphere. So, along with politicians, there are also journalists, intellectuals, scientists and certainly the education system. However, I have no doubt that, as much as social memory "from below" is polyphonic, the authentic Bosnian-Herzegovinian model of the culture of memory as a positive heritage will prevail over ideologically normalized mono-voiced political memories "from above"."

REGIONAL FUTURE: TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY, HERITAGE OR TRAUMA (2025-2055)

Thirty years after the war, ethnic identity still dominates the civic. In post-war society, the structure of ethnically divided space often makes civic initiatives impossible, as they are automatically attributed an ethnic sign.

• How could political, social, educational and cultural development in Bosnia and Herzegovina – and more broadly in the region – affect how transgenerational memory will be preserved, reinterpreted or denied in the next 30 years?

"By working at all costs to avoid repeating the mistakes of previous eras and socio-political systems, for example, in relation to the Second World War. Today, monuments dedicated to this period, unfortunately, as a rule, formulate emphatic messages for the offspring, but the offspring rarely take them to heart and therefore, contrary to their mission, they themselves soon pass into history and leave an impression – if they leave it at all – only as a material relic of some scenes of the past (as Alaida Asman excellently notes)."

GLOBAL FUTURE: TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY, INDIFFERENCE OR REVISIONISM (1995-2025-2055)

In the modern world, geopolitics is rapidly conditioning historical narratives and transgenerational memory – openly trading influence in conflicts and party choices through daily-political revisionism.

• How could global political disruptions, conflicting international historical narratives, and changing norms on justice and human rights shape the ways in which knowledge of wartime events from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the region will be transmitted, challenged, or withheld across generations over the next 30 years?

"The UN General Assembly resolution designated 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Remembrance, and it condemns the denial of genocide and the glorification of persons convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The clauses in the General Assembly resolution include a request for the UN Secretary-General to establish a public programme entitled "Genocide in Srebrenica and the UN", starting with the activities of preparation for the 30th and every subsequent anniversary. As a result, this “world opinion” expressed in the Resolution is symbolic in two essential ways: it can have an invaluable impact on the behaviour of states and stigmatize or isolate the practice of states that do not adhere to what is stated in the Resolution."



The opinions and insights expressed in this text reflect solely the views of the author. We publish these contributions to encourage reflection and open space for diverse perspectives on the topic of transgenerational memory in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region.