CULTURAL MEMORY IN THE DIVIDED CITY: SARAJEVO AND EAST SARAJEVO

Abstract

In this paper the culture of memory was explored in the area of Sarajevo and East Sarajevo in relation to the period before, during and after the war (1992–1995). Historical, ethnographic and comparative methods were used, as well as the method of content analysis and observation. The material was collected on the basis of four in-depth structured interviews, two each with residents of Sarajevo and East Sarajevo. In order to get a broader picture of the culture of memory, 12 interviews were conducted with residents of both cities (six each). These interviews were not structured and respondents were given the opportunity to talk what was most important to them personally regarding the culture of memory. The main conclusion of this study is that the individual memory of all interlocutors mostly coincides with the official narratives in both cities that follow the national interpretation of the war period and the postwar period. The respondents did not give more extensive answers about the pre-war period, although they served as a comparative framework with the post-war age.