The shadows of barbarism. Confrontation of collective memories in the former Yugoslav countries
Keywords:
former Yugoslavia, historical memmory, nationalism, postwarAbstract
This article has as its object of study the historical memory of the violently split identity groups of Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1999. After the armed conflicts, more than a decade of stability has passed, where the most notable political events have been the quiet secession of Montenegro after a referendum in 2006 and the bloodless unilateral independence of Kosovo in 2008. However, although the region is leaving its post-war landscape behind, conflicts persist. One of the main elements of tension that may lead to new violent escalations is the persistence of a collective imaginary where different identity groups are perceived as secular enemies with whom coexistence is not desirable. The different competing historical versions will be shown, in a succinct manner, which represent one of the main obstacles to the normalization of social relations in the Western Balkans, as well as a threat to European stability.
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