Memory of Good Things
Author(s) Valentina Otmačić Publisher Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade Regional Center for Advanced Studies of Humanities, Rijeka Published 2024 ISBN 978-86-82324-69-0 Pages 14 Edition Square
This research explores the experiences and narratives of three multiethnic communities – that of Gorski Kotar (Croatia), Tuzla, and Baljvine (both Bosnia-Herzegovina) – that resisted inter-ethnic violence during the 1991–1995 Yugoslav wars. The research delves into the practices and methods of wartime mobilization of positive collective memories by members of these communities to address an important gap in the knowledge, and attempt to elucidate how good memories can be activated to support nonviolent political agendas. There is a need for concerted effort to ensure memories of a positive inter-ethnic past are preserved, celebrated, and promoted through multiple avenues and public memory tools, as they can have a significant positive impact on the present and the future of multi-ethnic societies.