Reimagining the Post-War City: Symbolic Landscape Transformation and Reconciliation in Brčko District

Year 2025, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 29 - 42, 28.08.2025

Adisa Avdić Küsmüş

https://doi.org/10.26650/hupej.2025.2.1.1714691

Abstract

In the aftermath of a violent conflict, the pursuit of reconciliation is both a moral imperative and a complex political challenge. This paper explores the mechanisms through which post-conflict societies attempt to rebuild social cohesion, address historical injustices, and foster sustainable peace.

This article examines the strategies introduced by the international community in Brčko District between 1999 and 2012 to foster reconciliation, along with the local reactions and interpretations of these efforts.Grounded in field research conducted in the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina—a unique multi-ethnic and administratively autonomous region—the paper offers a case study of reconciliation and war memorialisation efforts in a post-Dayton framework.

The Brčko experience illustrates the tensions between imposed political solutions and locally-driven healing processes, highlighting both the potential and fragility of co-existence in deeply divided societies. It shows that despite international efforts to create a neutral environment, local communities felt alienated from the success narrative and remained deeply divided. Ultimately, the paper argues that meaningful reconciliation requires inclusive dialogue, long-term commitment, and an honest reckoning with the past—recognising that healing is as much a political process as it is a personal and communal one.

Keywords

Conflict , Reconciliation , Peacebuilding , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Memorial

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