Mass Graves, Stagnating Identification, and Violence: A Case Study in the Local Sources of "The War" in Bosnia Hercegovina

Abstract

Bosnia Hercegovina is the site of a striking number of World War II monuments erected on or near mass graves. Unlike war monuments and war graves elsewhere in Europe, these memorials are bones of contention and they generate violent inter-ethnic animosity. This article describes the trials and tribulations surrounding one of these war monuments and the Serb and Croat communities involved. It addresses an aspect of ethnic cleansing that has hitherto been the focus of very little research, that is, the destruction of mass graves. It is hypothesized that mass graves and the related commemorative ceremonies are a key to understanding the stagnating ethnic identification and the recent revival of violence in rural Bosnia Hercegovina. The article advocates a more systematic inquiry into the local sources of the war in this part of the former Yugoslavia.