“The generation of 1995 has no memory of the time before the war, but it has no memory of the war either”

Dr. sc. DRAGAN MARKOVINA - historian, writer, columnist [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?

"The question is too general because it assumes that there is some generational narrative, but also some lexicon knowledge that would have a list of all these things in front of it. Unfortunately, I think that in the rituals of memory culture there is the least trace of authentic memories, regardless of the fact that they are mostly known to the general public. In essence, it all came down to manifestations without real emotions, conducted by official policies.

Generational experience has shaped the relationship to that period primarily in literature. Moreover, it is precisely thanks to war traumas that Bosnian-Herzegovinian literature has never been stronger, more extensive and more diverse. Specifically in this field, it is self-renewing, because the new generations, who were children then, also publish novels with the memory of the war.

Another strong influence is, of course, the film, which also has an international and domestic resonance and a wider influence in the public.

Theatre, which has much less visibility but is not insignificant, has also remained marked by the experience of war.

In the end, what remains is historiography, especially of those who went and established themselves as scientists abroad.

Concretely, as far as the memory of Srebrenica is concerned, there are many other artistic performances and, of course, several famous novels by people who survived, as well as Jasmila Žbanić's film."

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?

"Again, we mistakenly assume that there is a unique experience of the generation. We all know that the complete legacy of the war is viewed completely differently by someone born in 1995, e.g. in Tomislavgrad or Posušje, where there were no war conflicts and where people live in mostly mono-ethnic environments, compared to people coming from war-affected and ethnically mixed environments. My impression is that this generation is marked by parental memory, but that it is mostly in the Bosniak context, which is understandable, intimate with recent history in the full sense of the word, and largely shapes its own identity according to the fact that they are part of a people that has experienced genocide. Unfortunately, what I see is an increasing distance between them and young people of other nations in BIH, who mostly want to include as little war and wartime heritage as possible in their own identities.

My impression is that this generation is marked by parental memory, but that it is mostly in the Bosniak context, which is understandable, intimate with recent history in the full sense of the word, and largely shapes its own identity in accordance with the fact that they are part of a people that experienced genocide. Unfortunately, what I see is an increasing distance between them and young people of other nations in BiH, who mostly want to include war and war heritage as little as possible in their own identities."

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?

"Here I must return to the previous question. They are not intimately aligned in any way, because the older generation, whose lives were truly marked by the war and who strongly shaped their own memories of it, also has memories of the world before it and is basically based on it in terms of identity. This generation of 1995 has no memory of a time before, but it has no memory of war, and unfortunately no real experience of living with others. Unfortunately, this generation is more inclined to mythologize memories and uncritically support official cultures of memory than the generation that preceded it and is paradoxically more shaped by the trauma it did not experience."

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?

"I am very pessimistic about all these issues and some change of narrative, because I do not see any indication that any real dealing with the past has succeeded. This idea has been completely defeated, and in a permanently nationalist context, it is difficult to create a different one. The problem and future conflict I see will be between those who will be annoyed by every memory of the war and who will simply want a normal life without the role of memory in it, and those who will not agree to such a thing."

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?

"Well, it is already obvious that the world as we knew it and within which memory policies were formed has disappeared. This world that is just emerging is much closer to the ruling policies here, which seem to be the avant-garde of the contemporary world. In such circumstances, we should accept this and start from quality historiography and art. I see the only sense in forming memory policies completely independently of the state and official policies."



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.