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Narratives reveal deep polarisation among ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighting challenges for transitional justice.
Two narratives – of victimhood and perpetration – in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) go hand in hand. They overlap, blend, intertwine, and, as I will argue, deepen polarisation among and between the main ethnic groups, rather than help bridge the societal divide, which appears to be deeper than ever since the end of the armed conflict in 1995. In this essay, I will reflect on what I saw, felt, and heard during my regular visits to Banja Luka, my hometown and the administrative centre of Republika Srpska, Bih. I will use my latest visit as a backdrop to tell the broader story of fragile transitional justice processes in BiH, and beyond.
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Olivera Simic (2026) studied this question.
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