“Transgenerational memory is not an automatic process”

VLADIMIR ANDRLE - President of the Jewish - Cultural-Educational and Humanitarian Society "La Benevolencija" [Bosnia and Herzegovina]

Photo: Denis Ruvić/MIR Magazin

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 generation that lived through the wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region during the 1990s bears deep consequences of the conflicts that have developed over the last three decades, both on a personal, social and cultural level. This generation is not only a witness to the war, but also an active bearer of lived history. These are experiences that did not end with a peace agreement, but continued through everyday life, interpersonal relationships, through issues of identity and memory. On a personal level, many have shaped their identities through trauma, loss, refugeeism, but also through resilience. For many, war is not only the past, but a constantly present reality that is found in memories, silences in the family, but also daily reminders of what has been lost. These personal memories are often distinguished from dominant political narratives which can create a sense of isolation or misunderstanding. Through media, films and books, the history of war and genocide is interpreted in different ways. Some authors and artists use these platforms to cultivate a culture of remembrance, document truth, and promote reconciliation, while others reinforce nationalist myths and revisionist narratives."

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?

"A generation born in the year of the Srebrenica genocide grew up in the shadow of a war that they did not remember directly, but whose consequences they felt daily. Through silence and trauma in families, through divided school curricula, through commemorations, media and socio-political divisions that continued to live even after the war. Their understanding of history is formed at the intersection of parents' personal stories, institutional narratives, and political manipulations that often deny, relativize, or selectively interpret the past. For many members of this generation, identity is shaped by the tension between the legacy of pain and the need for a normal life. As well as between the sense of duty to preserve the truth about genocide and the aspiration not to be reduced only to the role of "children of war". It seems to me that growing up in this reality has developed in many a strong sense of responsibility towards the culture of memory, but also a critical attitude towards the narratives that society offers them. Some have become activists, researchers, artists, or educators who insist on dialogue, reconciliation, and fact-based education. However, there are also those who, due to the educational system, media propaganda or socio-political pressures, remain trapped in myths, denial or indifference. This shows us that transgenerational memory is not an automatic process, but a space of struggle between forgetting and remembering and between truth and manipulation. That is why this generation has a key role to play. It stands between the past she did not choose and the future she must build, aware that peace is not implied, but constantly preserved through responsibility, knowledge and resistance to lies."

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?

"Generations that have lived through the wars in the former Yugoslavia, especially the events of 1995 and the generation born that same year, have shaped different but interconnected views of the past that are seen through personal experiences on the one hand and inherited memory on the other. The older generation bears direct trauma, losses and often very strong emotions related to ethnic identity, while the younger generation, although born in peace, grows up in a society where war and ethno-national divisions are still present in politics, education and everyday life. In some cases, there is a strong mutual understanding between them. Surviving parents convey memories through personal stories, and children transform them into active memory through learning, activism, and a culture of remembrance. Where there is open dialogue, an awareness of the importance of truth and peace is built together. However, differences are often noticeable. The elderly can remain attached to their own pain and divisions, while the younger are more likely to break the cycle of hatred and build new bridges, seeking common ground beyond nationalist narratives. Many young people feel frustrated by the fact that they live in a system that constantly produces fear and insecurity for political ends."

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?

"Political, social, educational and cultural development in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region in the next 30 years will play a key role in shaping transgenerational memory. If ethno-national structures remain dominant, transgenerational memory is likely to continue to be fragmented, instrumentalized, and closed within ethnic boundaries. This means that each community will preserve “its” truth, while the common history will remain unrecognized and suppressed. In this case, the culture of remembrance will serve as a means of political control, not as a path to reconciliation. However, if there is a strengthening of civic values, education based on critical thinking and facts, and the affirmation of a culture of dialogue that questions the past, then transgenerational memory can become the basis for shared responsibility and resilience of society. Cultural and educational actors, civil society and the media have the potential to tell whole stories and thus create space for empathy and understanding between generations. The way in which a memory will be stored, reinterpreted or denied will depend on whether society chooses to confront the past or permanently close its eyes to it. The future of transgenerational memory will not only be determined by what is remembered, but also by who has the power to shape it and to what end."

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?

"In the next 30 years, global political disruptions and changing international narratives on justice, memory and human rights could profoundly affect the way war events from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region are transmitted, challenged or withheld.

In a world where geopolitics is increasingly using history as an instrument of power, the truth about the wars in the former Yugoslavia can become collateral damage to great narratives. At a time when revisionism is growing stronger, and authoritarian regimes are increasingly imposing alternative truths, there is a real danger that crimes are relativized, judgments ignored, and facts replaced with politically useful myths. In this context, international support for dealing with the past may weaken and local actors may remain alone in the fight to preserve memory. On the other hand, the development of international law, digital technology, transnational networks of memory and the strengthening of global civil society can act as a counterbalance by ensuring that documented truth and the voices of survivors are not erased, but integrated into universal lessons on justice and resistance to oblivion. The key will be whether the global community will continue to defend universal values or succumb to fragmentation and selective morality. If the knowledge of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina is interpreted through the prism of current interests, memory will become a victim of the geopolitical market, but if awareness of the connection between local pain and global justice is built, it is possible to preserve authentic history and pass it on to future generations as a reminder, not just a memory."



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.