Facing the Past

Lessons from the Kosovo war: no time for European Complacency

The Kosovo war of 25 years ago serves as a reminder that frozen conflicts and bilateral disputes cannot be swept under the rug for long. In the current geopolitical environment, they will blow up in Europe’s face

By Agon Maliqi

Perspectives: The Past is Now

Perspectives

After the devastating wars on the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in recent decades, we have observed that the (re)construction of national historiographies is also driving societies further and further apart. Despite the gloomy picture drawn in this publication, coming to terms with the region’s traumatic history could be an essential contribution to European unification. With this publication, we hope to provide an impulse to that end.

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"Immediately after that seminal year of 2000, it was the writers who started creating bonds."

Interview

In this far-ranging interview, our office director, Nino Lejava talks to NIN Award winning author and director of the KROKODIL independent cultural center, Vladimir Arsenijević, about the historical and political foundations of Serbia's current geopolitical as well as cultural position with regard to its immediate neighbors, as well as Europe.

Public History - New Tendencies and Practices in Germany and Post-Yugoslav States

Report

The need for practitioners and history promoters to do historical work “beyond the walls of the traditional classroom” is constantly growing. One of the main takeaways from our recent study trip to Berlin is that public and open discussions about the past and remembering are crucial for building future welfare.

By Ana Radaković

BEYOND NON-PAPERS

Policy brief

For the past three decades, Western Balkan countries have been going through a dynamic period of consolidation of new states, economic transition and transformation of social values. This process of regional and internal consolidation is unfinished and the legacy of conflict is still powerful; yet the outlook of EU accession is the one positive project offering a perspective to societies and economies while settling the wounds of the past.

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10th European History Forum: Memorials in East and Southeast Europe Forgotten – alienated – reinvented

Conference report

Memorials are more than memories cast in basalt and concrete; as reference points, they are sources of veneration and contempt, at the mercy of political interests and deliberate acts of manipulation.

Whom is the Monument to Stefan Nemanja dedicated to?

This dossier was created in cooperation with the project "Kulture sećanja u dijalogu" (Memory culture in dialogue), in order to contribute to a more meaningful public debate on the topic of managing public goods in the context of memorialization and memory culture.

25 years of Dayton "Constitution": RESTART for Bosnia and Herzegovina? Ways to a citizen society

Policy Brief

In 2020, a number of international conferences and talks marking the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Accords brought the country back into the international spotlight. On this occasion, the Heinrich Böll Foundation's office in Sarajevo captured numerous voices on how to deal with the dysfunctional system.

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