To this day, almost all narratives on Bosnia focus on the 1990s, the war, and the labyrinth that Dayton’s institutional system represents. They also tend to be imbued with a perspective that often overdoes the ethnic and religious element. The truth is that, beyond the causes of war and its manifold tragedies, we actually know very little of its forgotten consequences, once the CNN effect is long gone. As importantly, we know very little of Bosnia today: a society shaped by the past, yes, but also exposed to shifting twenty-first-century dynamics. A society haunted not only by war tragedies but also by a long-standing and long overlooked social crisis.
This revealing book thus tries to provide a somewhat different picture of Bosnia, twenty years after the war. Largely based on the author’s experience in the field, it is to some extent an account of rural Bosnia, in particular of the Drina River Valley, which bore the brunt of the ethnic cleansing in the 1990s. Yet, and starting off from that isolated region of open wounds, unfinished issues and a cast of characters that range from displaced persons and victims to committed women, the book aims to overall provide a portrait of modern Bosnia as such, while also looking critically at the workings of the international community and European diplomacy. The book, with its landscape of activists, Western diplomats, and inhabitants of an underground world in Sarajevo for LGBT and youths, shows a country of so-far failed Springs and leaders who go on with their bad governance. Meanwhile, the “Europe” towards which Bosnia theoretically moves drifts between a poor understanding of the country, a fear of conflict that acts as its Achilles’ heel, as well as lack of genuine interest, seems unable to really change things. This compelling book shows that Bosnia is still, in a way, a country in limbo.
**
Russian & Former Soviet Union
Political Science
World
TABLE OF CONTENTS 8
Acknowledgements 10
Prologue 12
INTRODUCTION 16
PART I IN THE DRINA VALLEY 22
The Road to Eastern Bosnia 24
River of Violence 27
Srbinje 32
The Office (Twin Peaks) 37
Life in Foča 40
The Foča of Zdravko Krsmanović 44
The Arrest of Mladić 46
The Hodžićs 51
PART II THE FORGOTTEN ONES 56
Three Fighters 58
The Enclaves: like Indians in the Reservations 63
Žepa 70
Easy Rider: Miodrag and Angelina 74
PART III MEMORY, AMNESIA AND GEOPOLITICS 80
Bakira and the Lukić Family: Hell in Višegrad 82
Bilo, pa proslo and the Cacophony of Genocide 89
Looking the Other Way: the Conspiracy of Silence 94
Revisionism, Geopolitics and Stones in Srebrenica 97
Amnesia and Reconciliation? 101
PART IV THE EUROPEAN SPRING THAT DOES NOT COME 104
Nights of Pussy Galore 106
Babies without ID, Flames in Tuzla and Sarajevo 109
Europe’s Eleventh Hour 115
Road to Nowhere: Edith’s Diary 120
Epilogue Return to Goražde 126
ACRONYMS 130

upload/motw_shc_2025_10/shc/Bosnia in Limbo_ Testimonies Fr - Borja Lasheras.pdf

motw/Bosnia in Limbo_ Testimonies Fr - Borja Lasheras.pdf

Francisco de Borja Lasheras; James Badcock

Lasheras, Borja

ibidem-Sachbuch. ein Imprint von Jessica Haunschild u. Christian Schön GbR

Germany, Germany

producers:
Acrobat Distiller 9.5.5 (Windows)

Memory of the World Librarian: Calamitous Annunciation

To this day, almost all narratives on Bosnia focus on the 1990s, the war, and the labyrinth that Dayton’s institutional system represents. They also tend to be imbued with a perspective that often overdoes the ethnic and religious element. The truth is that, beyond the causes of war and its manifold tragedies, we actually know very little of its forgotten consequences, once the CNN effect is long gone. As importantly, we know very little of Bosnia today: a society shaped by the past, yes, but also exposed to shifting 21st century dynamics. A society haunted not only by war tragedies but also by a long-standing and long overlooked social crisis. This revealing book thus tries to provide a somewhat different picture of Bosnia, twenty years after the war. Largely based on the author’s experience in the field, it is to some extent an account of rural Bosnia, in particular of the Drina River Valley, which bore the brunt of the ethnic cleansing in the 1990s. Yet, and starting off from that isolated region of open wounds, unfinished issues and a cast of characters that range from displaced persons and victims to committed women, the book aims to overall provide a portrait of modern Bosnia as such, while also looking critically at the workings of the international community and European diplomacy. The book, with its landscape of activists, Western diplomats, and an underground world in Sarajevo for LGBT and youths, shows a country of so far failed Springs and leaders who go on with their bad governance. Meanwhile the “Europe” towards which Bosnia theoretically moves, drifting between a poor understanding of the country, a fear of conflict that acts as its Achilles’ heel, as well as lack of genuine interest, seems unable to really change things. In a way, therefore, a country in limbo.

Introduction -- Part I: In The Drina Valley -- The Road To Eastern Bosnia -- River Of Violence -- Srbinje -- The Office (twin Peaks) -- Life In Foc̆a -- The Foc̆a Of Zdravko Krsmanović -- The Arrest Of Mladić -- The Hodz̆ics -- Part Ii: The Forgotten Ones -- Three Fighters -- The Enclaves: Like Indians In The Reservations -- Z̆epa -- Easy Rider: Miodrag And Angelina -- Part Iii: Memory, Amnesia And Geopolitics -- Bakira And The Lukić Family: Hell In Visegrad -- Bilo, Pa Proslo And The Cacophony Of Genocide -- Looking The Other Way: The Conspiracy Of Silence -- Revisionism, Geopolitics And Stones In Srebrenica -- Amnesia And Reconciliation? -- Part Iv: The European Spring That Does Not Come -- Nights Of Pussy Galore -- Babies Without Id, Flames In Tuzla And Sarajevo -- Europe's Eleventh Hour -- Road To Nowhere: Edith's Diary -- Epilogue: Return To Goraz̆de -- Acronyms. Borja Lasheras ; Translated By James Badcock. Includes Bibliographical References. Translated From The Spanish.

2025-10-27