The multi-perspective exploration of the Bosnian War remains highly relevant today for several reasons, and it resonates across broader society in Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other European countries.
Firstly, the events of the war cannot yet be considered fully addressed or resolved. The fragile state of peace in the Western Balkans continues to be challenged. The initiators of this book project believe that raising awareness of the Bosnian War’s deep impact on personal biographies is a fundamental prerequisite for lasting peaceful coexistence. While this book cannot fully “come to terms” with the war, it aims to contribute practically toward that process.
Secondly, the book’s authors provide valuable insight into contemporary history, especially for students and younger generations who have not experienced the war firsthand, even through media coverage. Whereas traditional historical and non-fiction works focus on verifiable events and facts, this project offers personal and narrative perspectives that reveal how lives, decisions, and thinking are still shaped by events from more than 30 years ago. In other words, it shows how these experiences are being processed when the war itself remains unsettled.
Thirdly, the contributions transcend linguistic, generational, and national boundaries and reflect significant social developments. Concepts like “post-migrant” society or “cosmopolitanization” (Ulrich Beck) describe these changes. Essentially, the “national container” — the once-limiting framework for understanding society — has become too narrow to capture today’s social reality. This reality includes the stories told within families, schools, and universities, all part of the broader “German memory culture.” As the post-migrant society grows more cosmopolitan and interconnected beyond old national borders, so must its culture of remembrance evolve.
[Cover picture: Emina Haye, Mostar 2018.]
