CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Cvejic, Marija |
|---|---|
| Title | Bosnian Women's NGOs Involved in Peace and Reconciliation Initiatives: Gender and Memory After War |
| Summary | Women nongovernmental organizations in postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina have been labeled as natural peacemakers on a local and international level (Helms, 2003, 2010, 2013). Even though maybe they have a natural instinct for forgiveness and rebuilding relations with ethnic others, I argue that their peacebuilding, reconciliation, and justice activism has more than that. In oppressive political conditions in BiH, they use apolitical, essentialist representation and sometimes political labels to achieve their ultimate goal – peaceful living conditions for all citizens in BiH. However, in achieving their strategic aims, they face multiple issues, or to be a specific ghost from the war past they do not want to return, but keep haunting them. By silencing justice and war past for peace and reconciliation, women activists have managed to create some space to engage with ethnic other women activists to claim rights and build allegiances. However, they have still not gained the trust needed to deconstruct images imposed on them and look at each other without seeing ethnicity, potential problems, and falling apart. I evaluate the justice, reconciliation, and peacebuilding initiatives of women NGOs in BiH to find patterns and logic behind their activism and raise questions about how they can work closely and honestly. |
| Supervisor | Professor Elissa Helms |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/cvejic_marija.pdf |
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