Suchergebnisse

This article sets out to deepen our understanding of how people make everyday strategies for living together after mass atrocities and what role transitional justice may play for these strategies. Based on a study in the small town ofFoča inBosnia‐Herzegovina, the analysis unpacks the encounter between three clusters of narratives that make competing moral claims and offer different ways of ordering the past, present, and future: the "institutional" narrative formed globally at various institutions of transitional justice and here represented in the local by the International Criminal Tribunal for FormerYugoslavia (ICTY); the collective narratives of ethnonationalism constructed by entrepreneurs in politics and media and fed into daily discourses; and individual narratives "in the margins" that refuse collective categorizations. The article argues that theICTYnarrative, based on individual justice and factual truth, was, contrary to its aims, used to enforce exclusionist and collective claims. At the same time, less dominant narratives embraced theICTYnarrative, which suggests that the tribunal may potentially play a constructive role as an "archive for the future."

Violent conflicts often leave a legacy of destroyed, ruptured or segregated political landscapes. Accordingly, engaging the cultural heritage that emerges from periods of violence is a key factor for the construction of durable and inclusive peace. Many of the great challenges faced by conflict-affected societies are reflected in the politics around cultural heritage as it can be instrumentalised for war and peace alike, making it imperative for local, national and international stakeholders to engage with cultural heritage as a component of peacebuilding processes.This discussion paper provides a deeper understanding of the role of cultural heritage in conflict-affected societies and, specifically, the Western Balkans. The paper examines how narratives and practices around cultural heritage can be developed to foster social cohesion and dialogue, and seeks to demonstrate how divisive uses of cultural heritage can be transformed in a way that is conducive to peace.Using examples from Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) and Kosovo, the paper maps and identifies key cultural heritage sites and spaces that reflect a variety of cultural heritage narratives and practices in relation to peace processes. Tangible heritage including museums, memorials, plaques and religious buildings are discussed alongside intangible heritage including art installations and monuments. In particular, the role of local actors as anchors in cultural heritage processes is discussed, and attention is given to the gendered and intersectional power dynamics (re)produced through cultural heritage. Further, cultural heritage pedagogiesare discussed as instruments to rectify divisive propaganda and build bridges between multiple narratives, including the recognition of multi-layered histories and memories. Digitisation processes, it is argued, can be part of such pedagogies, mitigating or ameliorating processes of exclusion. Further, the role of cultural heritage as an income-generating factor is considered, not only in terms of its political significance but also in terms of its role in addressing economic marginalisation. Further, the paper identifies and warns against potential gaps between external notions of reconciliation and local requests for justice. Finally, the paper demonstrates that by reading the material landscape of post-conflict societies through both the presence and absence of tangible cultural heritage, it is possible to gain a deeper understanding of local power dynamics. Based on this analysis, the paper draws out a number of key recommendations to the European Union's engagement in the field of cultural heritage and peacebuilding:1) Any cultural heritage work should be anchored in the work that local heritage actors are already doing.2) Not all cultural heritage is equal. There is a need to consider which heritage has been historically privileged and why, as well as how these privileges translate into the present. 3) The frictions around cultural heritage can be successfully addressed through work with educational actors.4) Cultural heritage work should be considered as a potential income-generating factor in contexts of deprivation.5) Digital opportunities for heritage transformation should be considered.6) Cultural heritage interventions should not impose external notions of reconciliation but instead engage with the diversity of local requirements. 7) Cultural heritage work should be sensitive to the multiple layering of history.8) A spatial analysis of presences and absences in the post-conflict landscape should be conducted to understand processes of exclusion and inclusion.

A gendered reading of the liberal peacebuilding and transitional justice project in Bosnia-Herzegovina raises critical questions concerning the quality of the peace one hopes to achieve in transitional societies. By focusing on three-gendered justice gaps-the accountability, acknowledgement, and reparations gaps-this article examines structural constraints for women to engage in shaping and implementing transitional justice, and unmasks transitional justice as a site for the long-term construction of the gendered post-conflict order. Thus, the gendered dynamics of peacebuilding and transitional justice have produced a post-conflict order characterized by gendered peace and justice gaps. Yet, we conclude that women are doing justice within the Bosnian-Herzegovina transitional justice project, and that their presence and participation is complex, multilayered, and constrained yet critical. Adapted from the source document.