The Ripple of Justice
Exploring the Intergenerational Transmission of War-Related Traumas and the Impact of Criminal Trials in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Project Description
Welcome to our case study of Bosnia and Herzegovina which aims to explore the intergenerational transmission of war trauma in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It investigates how the international and domestic criminal trials impacted the intergenerational transmission from the war generation to the post-war generation.
Under the motto of “Brotherhood and Unity,” Yugoslavia was formed after World War II, uniting six republics and two autonomous regions under the leadership of Josip "Tito" Broz. Despite the dream of a united Yugoslav nation, tensions grew, leading to the country’s disintegration. In 1991, following Slovenia and Croatia’s declarations of independence, Bosnia and Herzegovina decided to follow suit in March 1992.
Shortly after Bosnia’s declaration, a brutal, three-sided war between Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs, and Bosnian Croats, broke out all battling for territory. Over three years, the conflict left behind a trail of devastation: cultural and religious heritage was destroyed, thousands of individuals were imprisoned, tortured, sexually enslaved and systematically raped in camps, and mass killings took place. Of a population of 4.5 million, about 100,000 people lost their lives, up to 50,000 women were sexually assaulted, and over 2 million were forced to flee their homes. In one of the war’s darkest moments, over 8000 (mostly) Bosniak men and boys were executed in July 1995 by the Bosnian Serb army in Srebrenica. The genocide is a chilling example of the violence that tore the country apart.
The war ended in December 1995 with the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. In the years that followed, Bosnia and Herzegovina began the long road to recovery. A key part of this process was the pursuit of justice, with the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in May 1993 marking a historical moment in international criminal justice. The ICTY focused on prosecuting those most responsible for the most serious crimes, while the domestic courts took on other cases, mainly dealing with low level soldiers and paramilitaries, aiming to bring accountability and recovery to the region. Despite the efforts to move on, almost 30 years after the end of the war, the country is still marked by its violent past. The Dayton Peace Agreement created a complex political system that has led to instability and inefficiency, with ongoing challenges like high unemployment and poverty. It also divided the country into two ethnic-based entities, deepening ethnic divisions and leading to significant migration. As of 2019, 6,586 people remain missing.
War-related psychological legacies are also still evident in individuals and communities, with high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, difficulty in social relationships, and a malevolent world view. Previous research clearly shows the impact of the war experiences on the psychological well-being of the generation who lived through the violence. There are indications that these legacies are passed down to the Bosnian post-war generation through family and social interactions. But to what extent war trauma is actually passed down to subsequent generations and what the impact of war trauma is on the family structure remains an open question. It also remains unknown what role, if any, criminal trials play in this transmission. This study will examine how the war-related trauma is passed down from the war generation to the post-war generation and what role participation in criminal trials, both international and domestic, play in this process.
Our case study will do so through a mixed-method approach consisting of quantitative population-based survey research, and qualitative semi-structured interviews with Bosnian families. Follow our project as we explore how the remnants of war continue to affect Bosnia and Herzegovina’s post-conflict recovery and rebuilding.
Relevant Literature
Buljubašić, M. (2019). Predeterminated for war-a trace of intergenerational transmission of war legacies among ethnically divided post-war generation from Bosnian urban areas. Bezbednosni dijalozi, 10(2), 77-94.
Hodžić, R. (2010). Living the legacy of mass atrocities: Victims’ perspectives on war crimes trials. Journal of International Criminal Justice, 8(1), 113-136.
Stover, E., & Weinstein, H. (Eds.). (2004). My Neighbor, My Enemy: Justice and Community in the Aftermath of Mass Atrocity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jordanova, K. (2012). Transmission of traumatic experiences in the families of war survivors from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Suvremene teme: međunarodni časopis za društvene I humanističke znanosti, 5(1), 52-60.
Parent, G. (2016). Genocide denial: Perpetuating victimization and the cycle of violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Genocide Studies and Prevention, 10(2), 38-58.