Redescribing Memory: Contributions to Bosniak Search of New Identity

Abstract

The Second World War found Bosniaks politically disunited. Four different and mutually opposed political and military options – pro-Serbian, pro-Croatian, Communist and Autonomist – operated within the country. The constitution of the contemporary Bosniak political subject in the 1920s by means of the politics of memory takes as referential points from the past only the shared moment of anti-fascist struggle. The new politics of identity largely relies upon the so called ‘Resolutions of Towns’ – protests on the part of Bosniak citizens against the fascist killings of Jewish and Roma citizens after the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia. Another frequently highlighted moment is the victimization of Bosniaks, planned for the sake of gaining certain rights on account of the position of the victim.