Since our last scholarly adventure in Florence, the VIDI team has been far from idle. This September, we packed our bags once again and headed east to present our latest work at EuroCrim24, the 24th Annual Conference of the European Society for Criminology. This year’s conference was hosted in Bucharest—a city with a distinctive blend of past and present, where communist-era buildings share space with modern cafes and creative spaces. This setting aptly mirrored the very research theme we came there to present—namely, how the past weaves itself into the present.
As part of a thought-provoking panel titled “Past Meets Present: Navigating the Relevance of History in Today’s Context,” chaired by our own Barbora Holá, each of us had the pleasure of sharing a unique perspective on the lingering influence of historical legacies on contemporary societies. Lucie kicked off the session by presenting her research on the psychosocial legacies of political repression in the Czech Republic. Using preliminary findings from her recent large-scale, original survey, she explored the long-term psychological impact of political repression under the communist regime on older generations, shedding light on how past adversities may continue to influence individual and collective well-being even decades after the regime’s collapse. Next, Amra followed with her case study on Bosnia and Herzegovina, exploring how war trauma is passed down through families and communities. She presented her theoretical framework and highlighted the role transitional justice mechanisms, specifically criminal trials, might play in mitigating or exacerbating these legacies. Her discussion of future research plans left the audience eager to see what comes next. Wrapping up the panel, Maartje captivated the audience with her exploration of Yugonostalgia—a phenomenon that continues to captivate and divide opinions in the Balkans. She analysed whether different forms of nostalgia, such as restorative and reflective Yugonostalgia, manifest in Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia, and how the memory of the former Yugoslavia has found a new home in online communities, offering an insightful lens into how memories of the past are preserved and contested in the digital age.
Our contributions, however, did not end there. Outside of our panel, Mirza took the stage as part of a session titled “Atrocity Crimes: Challenges, Approaches, and Impacts of Transitional Justice,” to share his insights on the local attitudes towards, and impacts of, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Drawing on his preliminary findings from a scoping review, he shed light on how communities in the former Yugoslavia perceive the ICTY’s role in achieving justice, peace, and historical truth. He highlighted the complex and often conflicting local perspectives on the tribunal’s legacy, sparking engaging discussions among attendees.
Curious to know more? You can read through the detailed abstracts of our presentations below!
Notably, EuroCrim24 was more than just an opportunity to present our research—it was an intellectually invigorating experience filled with thought-provoking discussions and invaluable feedback. Engaging with leading scholars and practitioners from across Europe, and beyond, allowed us to exchange ideas, refine our methodologies, and establish meaningful connections that will undoubtedly enrich the next phases of our research. Speaking of next phases, what lies ahead for the VIDI team?
We have got some exciting developments on the horizon. Lucie is deeply immersed in analysing data from her survey of three generations of Czech citizens, exploring whether past political repression continues to shape psychosocial well-being of Czech citizens to this day. She is also drafting her first article, and we are eager to see her findings take shape. Amra is refining her research methodology and preparing to begin data collection in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a crucial step toward uncovering new insights into the intergenerational transmission of war legacies. Maartje is delving further into the complexities of Yugonostalgia, while Mirza is putting the finishing touches on his scoping review on local perceptions of the ICTY, uncovering new perspectives on the tribunal's role in shaping justice and reconciliation.
As you can see, we have lots more to share soon, so make sure to keep an eye on our website for upcoming sneak peeks, latest updates, and reflections on our research journeys.
Abstracts of our Presentations
Lucie Pěntáková, PhD Candidate
Adding Insult to Injury? The Role of Retributive Transitional Justice in the Intergenerational Transmission of Psychosocial Legacies of Political Repression in Czechia
The 20th century witnessed unprecedented gross human rights violations within the former Soviet sphere of influence. Such violations, as prior research suggests, can result in long-lasting psychosocial consequences, affecting not only immediate victims but also succeeding generations. While contemporary scholarly efforts have focused on understanding the mechanisms by which these psychosocial legacies are passed down, the possible modulatory role of transitional justice policies has not yet been considered. To address this gap, we set out to examine the role transitional justice policies play in the intergenerational transmission of psychosocial legacies of political repression in an explorative case study of Czechia. Owing to the country’s communist past, marked by 40-year-long political repression and its subsequent adoption of large-scale lustrations and exposure of former secret police collaborators, Czechia offered a rich backdrop for our investigation. Using a survey, we queried three successive generations of Czech citizens about their direct or familial exposure to political repression, involvement in transitional justice measures, and current psychosocial functioning to ascertain: (i) what psychosocial legacies of political repression are transmitted to the post-communist generations and (ii) what role lustration and exposure as a secret police collaborator play in the process of intergenerational transmission. In this presentation, I will present and discuss the study’s preliminary findings, along with the methodological challenges encountered during the research.
Amra Žerić, PhD Candidate
Softening the Blow? The Role of Criminal Trials in the Intergenerational Transmission of Psychosocial Legacies of Mass Atrocities in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mass atrocities have a long-lasting impact on individuals, families, and communities. Previous research has shown that the psychosocial legacies of mass atrocities not only affect the generation that lived through the violence but the post-conflict generations as well. In order to address the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its aftermath, criminal trials were utilized to hold individuals accountable. In the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it remains unclear what the psychosocial legacies of mass atrocities are and how the criminal trials possibly moderated the transmission of the psychosocial legacies from the war-struck generation to the post-war generation. This project aims to investigate the intergenerational transmission of the psychosocial legacies of the war in Bosnia and the role that criminal trials play in the transmission of these legacies. The focus of this research will be on the domestic trials as well as those of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The study will be based on a literature review, population-based survey, and interviews with families in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this presentation, I will outline the project as well as some of the theoretical, methodological and ethical considerations.
Maartje Weerdesteijn, PhD
Restorative and Reflexive Yugonostalgia among the Different Ethnic Groups
(co-authored by Margareta Blažević, Barbora Holá, and Mirza Buljubašić)
Nostalgia for the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, or rather Yugonostalgia, can be controversial given the region’s recent violent history. Nationalist elites that came to power after the dissolution often left little room in society for political narratives that cast the former Yugoslavia in a positive light. Boym has argued that there are different forms of (yugo)nostalgia. Restorative nostalgia is perceived as a form of truth where the past is “a perfect snapshot.” Reflective nostalgia, on the other hand, sees time as a more flexible construct. It does not concern itself necessarily with truth but with memory. We have analysed how these different forms of nostalgia manifest the former Yugoslav countries, Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia by travelling to a virtual place where Yugoslavia is maintained and cherished: the internet. Here, as Mazzuchhelli explains, Yugoslavia moved from the “geopolitical space” to a “virtual space” where the “socio cultural space of Yugoslavia still exists today and survived the violent dissolution” (2012, p. 4). We set out a survey on some prominent Yugonostalgic social-media platforms which allowed us to pose questions to a wide variety of individuals who share a common interest in, and feelings of, Yugonostalgia. Our respondents experience their Yugonostalgia in interaction with the national identities that co-exist in the social sphere they inhabit offline.
Mirza Buljubašić, PhD
A Scoping Review of Attitudes Towards and Impacts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Preliminary Results
(co-authored by Barbora Holá, Margareta Blažević, and Linda Schoonmade)
The dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s led to widespread atrocities, including massacres, rapes, and unlawful detentions. To address the issue of impunity and ensure justice for the perpetrators, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established. While the ICTY has played a significant role in shaping international criminal law and promoting accountability, its legacy remains complex and subject to debate. This presentation seeks to examine empirical research on local attitudes towards and local impacts of the ICTY in the former Yugoslavia. Specifically, it aims to answer the question: What does empirical research tell us about these attitudes and impacts? To achieve this objective, the presentation systematically reviews and synthesizes existing empirical research on the attitudes towards and impacts of the ICTY. By evaluating the methodologies and data sources used in these studies, this presentation also identifies gaps in the current knowledge base. The preliminary results reveal that individuals and local communities in war-affected countries exhibit various attitudes towards the ICTY, influenced by factors such as traumatic experiences, and ethnicity. These attitudes also encompass various ICTY aspects such as legitimacy, and morality. The measurable changes on the ground in former Yugoslavia, resulting from the ICTY's interventions, are closely tied to the successes and failures of the tribunal in achieving objectives: justice, peace, and historical truth. Based on the preliminary findings, it is evident that the ICTY's impacts and local attitudes are multifaceted. The complexities of post-conflict peacebuilding and the pursuit of justice require careful consideration of the ICTY's achievements and shortcomings. This presentation contributes to the understanding of the local perceptions towards and local impacts of the ICTY's work and highlights the practical implications/concerns.
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