Practices of border crossing in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina: the case of Mostar |
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Authors: | Monika Palmberger |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Socio-Cultural Diversity, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Hermann-F?ge-Weg 11, 37073 G?ttingen, Germanypalmberger@mmg.mpg.de |
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Abstract: | In this article, I bring together literature from the fields of memory and reconciliation to investigate practices of ‘border crossing’ in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. While national divisions prevail, subtle attempts at border crossing can be witnessed even in those areas most impacted by the war’s partition, such as in Mostar, a city that has been left divided into Croat and Bosniak sides. Borders are physically crossed to reintegrate the ‘other side’ into one’s everyday life, but also in a more metonymical sense through the questioning of absolute national identities. Such acts of border crossing heavily rely on memories of positive pre-war cross-national relations, which are brought forward to re-establish these relations in post-war times. The research findings suggest that re-enacting a shared common ground – most often found in the past rather than in the present – bears an integrative potential that deserves more attention in post-conflict settings. |
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Keywords: | Bosnia and Herzegovina Mostar border crossing memory national identities reconciliation |
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