Reclaiming erased lives: archives, records and memories in post-war Bosnia and the Bosnian diaspora

Abstract

In this paper, based on conventional and digital ethnography, I first identify three dominant research areas relating to the issues of destruction, use and abuse of archives and records in post-war Bosnia, and discuss their legal, political and ethical dimensions. I then go on to present two ethnographies describing how survivors of 'ethnic cleansing' and genocide in Bosnia and in the Bosnian refugee diaspora perceive, experience and deal with missing personal records and material evidence of their histories, as well as how they (re)create their own archives and memories, and in the process reassert their 'erased' identities in both real and cyber space. This paper also describes how contemporary technologies-including biomedical technology and information and communication technology-impact the reconstruction of individual and collective identities in shattered Bosnian families and communities in the aftermath of genocide. The ethnographies described point to the novel contribution that these technologies have made to re-humanising both those who perished and the survivors of the war in Bosnia.

Who chooses to remember? Diaspora participation in memorialization initiatives

“…They maintain cultural ties and identities in relation to BiH, and are often engaged in the cultural, political and economic developments of their country on different levels (Halilovich et al 2018). While it is difficult to speak about a cohesive "Bosnian" diaspora, as the group is by no means monolithic or homogenous (Valenta and Ramet 2011;Feron 2013;Halilovich 2014), there has been transnational diaspora mobilization around grievance claims regarding memorialization on the local level in communities in the homeland, particularly those with returnee populations such as Srebrenica and Prijedor (Eastmond 2006;Halilovich 2013;Karabegović 2016). Those who mobilize around commemoration activities include those who were directly impacted by particular atrocities but also others who see commemoration activities as helping to demonstrate solidarity among diaspora members and maintain ties to the homeland and amongst each other (Nettelfield and Wagner 2014;Halilovich 2015;Karabegović 2016).…”

“…The Srebrenica Genocide is considered a key traumatic event in identity formation for Bosnian Muslims, especially in the post-conflict environment and is commemorated annually in Srebrenica and across the world. It plays a major mobilization role and is the main symbol of victim-based organizations in BiH, who highlight and prioritize it over others when discussing their identity and belonging and unity (Halilovich 2014;Nettelfield and Wagner 2014).…”

“…Moreover, diaspora are invested in memory politics as these often provide the only links to their previous lives in the homeland and help them to retain connection to family members they might have lost and communities which they consider "home." Previous research has focused on the ways in which they piece together the past through personal narratives and memory as well as through online communities (Halilovich 2014). In this case, diaspora also participate in the politics of memory in both establishing their own communities, but also in the communities back home.…”

Critical Directions for Archival Approaches to Social Justice

“…Scholars outside of archival studies have also examined how records are used in many parts of the world as instruments of oppression, discrimination, unequal opportunities and access to resources, and systemic institutional violence (Spade 2011;Gupta 2012). Works by Verne Harris (2007), Hariz Halilovich (2014), and Anne Gilliland (2014) provide important case studies that illustrate how records and archivists can play an instrumental role in societies coming to terms with widespread human rights violations. Many of the articles on human rights archives do not use the term "social justice."…”

Memory in the margins: The connecting and colliding of vernacular war memories

“…These features, or affordances, invite specific usages. Affordances such as the ability to embed videos reconceptualize how post-war individuals remember, by enabling videos to be spread on dedicated websites to commemorate the local identities and memories of displaced persons, even if the physical village is no longer there (Halilovich, 2014).…”