Local Uses of International Criminal Justice in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Transcending Divisions or Building Parallel Worlds?

Authors

  • Dejan Guzina Wilfrid Laurier University, Political Science
  • Branka Marijan Wilfrid Laurier University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26522/ssj.v7i2.1046

Keywords:

Bosnia-Herzegovina, Transitional Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, contested citizenship

Abstract

Transitionaljustice mechanisms and the International Criminal Tribunal for the FormerYugoslavia (ICTY) have had only a limited success in overcoming ethnic divisionsin Bosnia-Herzegovina. Rather than elaborating upon the role of local politicalelites in perpetuating ethnic divisions, we examine ordinary peoples’ popularperceptions of war and its aftermath. In our view, the idea that elites havecomplete control over the broader narratives about the past is misplaced. Weargue that transitional justice and peace mechanisms supported by externalactors are always interpreted on the ground in context-specific ways, creatingdifferent citizens’ experiences, “memories” of the war, and their respectivehopes and disappointments in regards to the relationship between peace andjustice in Bosnia. We suggest that analyses of the post-conflict developments inBosnia-Herzegovina must take into account what gives the narratives ofexclusion their power, and what are the objective political, social andeconomic constraints that continue to provide a fertile ground for theirwidespread support.

Author Biographies

Dejan Guzina, Wilfrid Laurier University, Political Science

Branka Marijan, Wilfrid Laurier University

Branka Marijan is a Ph.D. candidate in globalgovernance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs (Wilfrid Laurier University). Her research interests are focused on issues ofpeacebuilding, citizenship and civil society in post-conflict countries (email: bmarijan@balsillieschool.ca). The authors would like to thank Kimberly Rygiel and the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions.

Downloads

Published

2013-06-21

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2 (2013): Justice after Violence: Critical Perspectives from the Western Balkans

Section

Thematic Articles

License

Articles are published in Studies in Social Justice under the Creative Commons "Attribution/Non-Commercial/No Derivative Works" Canada licence.

The copyright for the articles published in this journal is retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles may be used, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings. The submission of a manuscript to Studies in Social Justice will be taken to mean that the author understands and agrees to the following:

  • the manuscript represents original work not previously published;
  • the manuscript is not being considered elsewhere for publication in the same language (publication elsewhere in an alternate language does not preclude acceptance of submission to Studies in Social Justice); 
  • appropriate written copyright permissions have been secured for republication of any copyrighted material contained in the manuscript; 
  • copyright for this article is retained by the author, with first publication rights granted to Studies in Social Justice; 
  • by virtue of its appearance in this open access journal, it is understood that the article is freely available for use, with proper attribution, for educational and other non-commercial purposes; 
  • reuse of the article for commercial purposes by anyone other than the author requires permission of the author; 
  • the author agrees to cite Studies in Social Justice as a source whenever h/she later republishes or reuses the article in other platforms.