Remembering the 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina: The case of Sarajevo Roses

Abstract

This work explores acts of public memory and analyzes commemoration practices surrounding the Sarajevo Roses, shell holes filled with red paint located in the streets of Sarajevo, with additional reference to the commemoration practices in Potocari (Srebrenica) and Kovaci (Sarajevo). The work looks at how historical discourse intermingles, clashes and merges with the memory-work at the commemoration sites. The research is therefore based on exploration of commemoration sites and memories that current residents of Sarajevo have in relation to the Sarajevo Roses. The analysis of the memory work point to a difficulty in appropriation of the memories related to Sarajevo Roses, i.e. the absence of any group who could claim them in their recollection of war memories.