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Macalester College

Publication Date

Spring 2020

Program Name

Serbia, Bosnia, and Kosovo: Peace and Conflict Studies in the Balkans

Abstract

Studying the War Childhood Museum in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the monument to children killed in NATO bombing in Belgrade, Serbia, as well as the monument to killed children of besieged Sarajevo, this research project examines the motif of children in war within memorialization practices of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Relying on six semi-structured interviews with members of civil society in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as an employee of the War Childhood Museum, this research explores the role that the motif of children in war plays in remembering and portraying the past in these countries with an emphasis on how this motif relates to the dominant narratives of the past and the way it impacts peace and reconciliation efforts. Acknowledging the differences among these forms of memorialization with regard to their ethnically inclusive or exclusive approaches, this research points out the ways in which the incorporation of the child motif can strengthen or challenge the dominant narratives of victimization. Furthermore, it explores the potential of this motif to contribute to peace and reconciliation dependent on its use.

Disciplines

Child Psychology | Eastern European Studies | European History | European Languages and Societies | Peace and Conflict Studies | Social and Cultural Anthropology | Social Influence and Political Communication

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