Narratives, Ethnicity and Post-conflict Divisions in Mostar

Abstract

Often described and nostalgically remembered as one of the most ‘mixed’ cities of the former-Yugoslavia, Mostar became an ethnically ‘divided city’ as a result of the 1992-1995 Bosnian war - formally partitioned in order to bring hostilities to an end. Ethnic identities and ethno-nationalistic divisions endure due to a combination of issues related to political instrumentalism, spatial divisions, the urban landscape, the educational system and continued unease from the war. This annotated bibliography focuses on literature that examines identities, narratives and experiences in Mostar – in particular how divisions, primarily based in ethnicity, are reinforced, negotiated and challenged. There is a growing body of research and literature from the past five years, presented here, that seeks to move beyond the representation and analysis of Mostar as primarily a city divided along ethno-national lines.