Space Place, and Memory as Context for Landscapes of Communal Trauma in Bosnia

Communal trauma is a key topic in a time where masses are exposed to traumatic events, such as war, famine, or natural disasters. Bosnia is a site where we can see how communal trauma manifests itself onto the social and physical landscape over a period of twenty years. Political and socio-cultural...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Anthropology of East Europe review 2020-01, Vol.37 (1), p.1
Main Author: Ivana Topalovic Mora
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Civil war
Collectives
Decisions
Famine
Fascism
Landscape
Memorials
Memories
Memory
Middle age
Militia groups
Natural disasters
Public works
Religious buildings
Trauma
Traumatic life events
Violence
War
Women
Worship
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Summary:Communal trauma is a key topic in a time where masses are exposed to traumatic events, such as war, famine, or natural disasters. Bosnia is a site where we can see how communal trauma manifests itself onto the social and physical landscape over a period of twenty years. Political and socio-cultural decisions are made constantly on how to process the trauma of the 1990s civil war. These decisions manifest themselves in public works, such as sculptures, places of worship and memorials, or even just tagging on walls. This paper examines how these decisions affect the landscape and the people living in it. How memorials oftentimes act as conduits for triggered memories, rather than cathartic expression, and how the politics of memory often leave those they are trying to help behind, such as women's trauma and craft collectives.
ISSN:1054-4720
2153-2931