141 research outputs found
Localizing transitional justice: civil society practices and initiatives in the Balkans
No full textThis chapter engages with the key themes explored in this volume. It gives an overview of the civil society and the pursuit of transitional justice in the Balkans and connects these broader themes to the specific insights offered by the scholars in this volume. The history of war and violence in Balkan nations, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania and Romania, makes this an important area of analysis. While the analysis is situated in the particular context of the Balkan region, it has a potential to broaden our understanding of civil society engagements with transitional justice processes globally. The analysis provided in this chapter is multidirectional and offers explanations for the history of civil society in general, and its development in the Balkan region in particular. The chapter also provides an overview of the region and transitional justice field. The analysis is relevant to academic disciplines as diverse as legal studies, criminology, social psychology, media, politics, and sociology, while remaining embedded within a transitional justice framework
Peace psychology in the Balkans: in times past, present and future
No full textThis chapter provides an overview of the contributions that Peace Psychologists have made to the understanding of confl ict and peace in the Balkan region. The recent history of physical violence in Balkan nations, such as Bosnia- Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Romania, make this an important area of analysis given its potential to broaden our understanding of peace and confl ict processes world-wide. The analysis provided in this chapter is multi-directional in its consideration of past, present and future realities. Explanations for the history of confl ict in the region are identifi ed, the present realities of peace and confl ict explored and pathways to a more peaceful future proposed. The analysis is also multi-faceted considering both micro-level and macro-level factors relevant to the history and future of peace in the region. Micro-level factors, such as social norms, individual attitudes and relations to other ethnic groups, are shown to have complex interactions with macro-level factors, such as politics and economics, in predicting both peace and violence in the Balkan region. The analysis is relevant to academic disciplines as diverse as peace studies, politics and sociology, but remains fi rmly embedded within a peace psychological framework
Journalistic views on post-violent peacebuilding in Bosnia and Herzegovina
No full textIn this chapter we focus on the media portrayal content of a specific traumatic event and journalists’ discourse about it in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH). Despite the growing role and authority of journalists in shaping our understanding of collective pasts, the possible role of journalists as active agents in contributing to heightening tensions has been marginalized. Analyzing media texts can demonstrate how a “specific, limited truth” about the start of war in BIH is being selected, instrumentalized, and legitimized in the public awareness. Focus on journalists’ perceptions of war and positive post-violence offers an understanding of different views about the start of the war, and guilt. This is why the basic research questions here deal with how journalists in BIH represent the violent past. Specifically, how do they cover a specific traumatic event and what are their perceptions about possibilities of realizing positive post-violence? Research on post-conflict processes looks at the ways in which people attempt to recreate their social fabric in ways appropriated to the changes in their social environment. Thus, the larger question that we are interested in here is whether journalists, like storytellers, frame their stories according to their ethnical belonging and the cultural environment? Furthermore, what media conditions might make possible positive post-violence after violent conflict
Az illegális migráció megjelenése Zala megyében
No full textThe author provides an overview of law enforcement responses to recent migration challenges in Zala county in Hungary.A szerző áttekintést nyújt a legutóbbi migrációs kihívásokkal kapcsolatos rendészeti válaszokról a magyarországi Zala megyében
South African nation branding and the World Cup: promoting nationalism, nation branding, and the miracle nation discourse
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The “Transitional Citizen”:Civil Society, Political Agency and Hopes for Transitional Justice in Bosnia–Herzegovina
No full textOver the past 5 years there has been a concerted effort by the newly-established Court of Bosnia–Herzegovina to build its legitimacy within local communities through processes of public outreach and civil society capacity building. Although particular understandings of the “transitional citizen” are implied within such activities they have, to date, been left under explored in the literature on transitional justice and Bosnia–Herzegovina. However, the way in which political subjectivity is understood and is shaped at times of transition is fundamentally important for understanding how transitional justice is practiced. Thus this chapter will address a significant yet underexplored aspect of transitional justice: that of its citizen. We know from transitional justice scholars amongst others that the fostering of civic virtues, trust and behaviours are seen as vital for supporting transition towards democracy in post-war societies (de Greiff, 2008). This is the anticipated political community in reference to which reconciliation is enacted and over which it is assumed a consensus can and will develop. We suggest that there is a need to examine in detail this dynamic, both theoretically and empirically. This chapter draws on qualitative fieldwork undertaken by the three authors in both independent and collaborative projects between 2009 and 2011 in BiH to examine the type/s of citizen and political subjectivity that have emerged through processes of public outreach and civil society capacity building. This argument challenges a vision of the transitional citizen as a passive recipient of new legal or political programmes and illustrates the emergence of alternative understandings of justice and democracy through public outreach programmes
What about the Women? Transitional Justice and Gender in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Northern Ireland
No full textFormer Yugoslavia on the world wide web: Commercialization and branding of nation-states
No full textSince the violent collapse of former Yugoslavia, the ‘new’ nation-states of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia have attempted to position themselves on the global map while seeking to create a distinctive ‘brand’ (national) identity. Drawing on a textual analysis of their official governmental websites, this article explores how these former Yugoslav states use the Internet to create and represent self-images for the world. The governmental websites analysed frame the nation as a ‘brand’ in that they employ advertising mechanisms to promote and sell their nations. Websites represent national territories, histories, products and citizens as commodities that can be sold to foreign investors and tourists. In this way, the former Yugoslav countries are transformed into brand-states that serve the function of relegating their citizens to the role of either exotic Others ready to be consumed by rich western tourists, or goods for foreign investment
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