Addressing Intergenerational Collective Trauma in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Initiation of Practitioners’ Training
Envision this: three decades have swept by, each carrying its own stories and secrets. In the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, however, these years bear witness to a haunting tale of war's devastation and the lingering scars of atrocity. The echoes of that tumultuous past persist even today, as if the very landscape refuses to forget. But amidst these echoes, a powerful call resounds – a call to shatter the chains of intergenerational grievances, to bridge the chasm of polarization, and to banish the ghosts of anxiety that linger in the shadows of tomorrow.
Meet Agents of Change
With their potential to catalyse change, social workers, psychologists and psychoterapists (i.e., practitioners) stand on the cusp of societal transformation. Through their work, they hold the power to mend the wounds that still fester within communities. These wounds, a legacy of war, have woven a web of grievances. However, the practitioners are one of the pillars that can initiate and foster postwar healing. Their mission? To dismantle the vestiges of conflict, to challenge the grip of extremism, and to nurture a resilience that will carry Bosnia and Herzegovina into a brighter tomorrow.
A Knowledge-Based Framework
Recognizing the need to address the intergenerational impacts of the past traumas, I have, together with Barbora Holá, developed a knowledge-based framework dealing with a relation between past collective traumas and extremism to guide practitioners and policymakers in designing effective interventions. The foundation of this framework lies in a synthesis of knowledge derived from extensive fieldwork and empirical studies. The framework aims to inform practitioners and policymakers on the importance of breaking intergenerational effects of political violence and support them in navigating the complexities of their interventions fostering postwar healing, open-mindedness and tolerance.
The framework centers around three key elements that play crucial roles in perpetuating extremist beliefs and violence: narratives, unpleasant emotions, and negative mental representations. These elements form an intricate tapestry of extremism's grip on society. Narratives, rich with divisiveness, weave a web of "us" versus "them," nurturing nativism and authoritarianism. Within these narratives lie emotions – the raw and often explosive feelings of grievance, fear, and anger, potentially igniting communities. And intertwined with these emotions are the mental images of historical losses both real and imagined. These losses can obscure the path to collective healing, perpetuating myths and fostering a mentality of "us" against the rest.
As highlighted by Vamik Volkan, societies burdened by victimization and unresolved traumas may pass down these experiences and psychological burdens to future generations. Over time, these selective images of only own trauma and victimization become ingrained as shared historical references, shaping collective identity and perpetuating a continuous state of mourning, whether overtly acknowledged or concealed. Traumatic memories from the near or distant past can thus be selectively manipulated to fuel extremism among groups, leading to destructive and harmful consequences such as youth radicalization, cycle of violence or further societal polarization.
Bridging Theory and Practice
The framework's power lies not only in its conceptualizations but also in its practical relevance. As part of an effort to implement this framework and strengthen capacities to prevent extremism at the grassroots level, the think-tank from Bosnia and Herzegovina - Atlantic Initiative (AI) - organized specialized training sessions for leading practitioners. These training sessions were an integral component of AI's broader efforts aimed at preventing violent extremism at the community level. As a co-author of the framework, I had the privilege of witnessing this training firsthand in the picturesque sea town of Neum, nestled along the tiny, though stunning, coastline of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Based on the framework, eleven practitioners developed and coordinated a meticulously structured process, orchestrating and enacting diverse atrocity and postatrocity scenarios to train themselves and their peers and colleagues in countering extremism within their communities. The cornerstone of this approach lies in harnessing a potential of role-playing as an instrument for cultivating self-reflection and fostering empathy. The training began with the selection of roles—perpetrators, victims, bystanders, and subsequent postatrocity generations—drawn by each participant at random. Each practitioner then received a detailed description of a personal story, showcasing their character's life trajectory and illuminating intergenerational parallels between parents and offspring.
Embedded within the training program was a carefully choreographed sequence of nine distinct steps. This design was purposefully conceived to guide practitioners, serving as both learners and facilitators, through a journey of self-exploration. Each step represented an opportunity for introspection and reflection regarding the assigned role and the broader intergenerational collective traumas. As the training progressed, participants navigated through stages of emotional confrontation and cognitive grappling. These sequential steps were not merely procedural; they were purposively developed to progressively address existing preconceptions and foster a heightened awareness of the complex interplay between historical legacies and present realities. Each step of the training aimed to unravel the intricate interplay between specific atrocity events, collective identities, and the complex reconstruction of lived or intergenerationally inherited collective traumatic experiences. The nine-step journey thus represented a deliberate, iterative process through which the participants embarked on an experiential expedition, reshaping their perspectives, fostering empathy, and equipping themselves to navigate the intricate landscape of post-atrocity reconciliation and resilience to extremism.
As the training progressed through each step, participants navigated their own memories of violence and their own experiences of animosity, biases, and societal schisms persisting in the war’s aftermath, notably within the context of sustained intergenerational transmission.
This ''navigation'' took the form of confronting uncomfortable truths about their communities' histories, shared suffering, engaging in compelling exchange, and unearthing the layers of own preconceptions. The journey involved introspection and challenging dialogues that unveiled the threads of animosity’s fabric, a commitment to understanding roots of various biases and their intergenerational continuity. Through immersive role-playing exercises, the participants were able to step into the shoes of those directly impacted by the war-related violence, fostering a deeper understanding and empathy towards the intricate layers of trauma. Furthermore, the training emphasizes critical thinking, guiding practitioners to detect extremist motivations hidden behind a benign words and language, not only in political discourse, medias, but also in everyday communications. This enables practitioners to discern manipulation and guard against the misuse of words.
By the end of the training session, one of the participating practitioners, who had assumed the role of a perpetrator, humbly recognized that at the end of the day each of us was susceptible to the shadows that could transform one into a malefactor. This personal awakening served as a poignant reminder for him of the subtle and pervasive grip of extremist ideologies, reminiscent of the far-right narratives that ignited and fueled the 1990’s war. These narratives persist like silent currents beneath the surface, coursing through the fabric of society, be it within the realm of politics, certain social enclaves, familial structures, or even in the minds of the youth.
During the reflective dialogue between participants, another practitioner stepped into the shoes of the postwar generation, offering a sobering perspective. The participant questioned whether new generations, under the weight of historical legacies, may inadvertently perpetuate a cycle of enmity, and eventually also succumb to calls for violence—ranging from hate-fueled misdemeanors to even warfare and violent hostilities. In order to break the cycle of violence, according to the same participant, one needs to be vigilant and question their own biases and subconscious beliefs.
Drawing upon the wisdom of Hannah Arendt, it becomes evident that individuals do not merely decide to become political extremists or engage in violence; it is a far more intricate process. As Arendt astutely notes in "The Life of the Mind" much evil is perpetrated by people who fail to consciously choose between good and evil. This realization emphasizes the complexity of countering and preventing political extremism, as acknowledged by the participating practitioners. Addressing and preventing such delicate issues require a multifaceted approach, involving various institutions responsible for upholding the law, providing security, and ensuring the quality of life for all members of society. When intergenerational aspects are factored into the equation, the challenges and intricacies of developing effective policies become even more pronounced and complex. As the practitioners progressed through the training, they recognized that countering the complex issues of war legacies, extremism, resilience and their intergenerational aspects demanded multi-faceted, practical solutions. The training was meant to provide them with at least some available tools.
Seeds of Change
Culmination of the Training
The training reached its zenith in a room buzzing with shared experiences, introspection, and newfound insights. Practitioners delving into the psyches of perpetrators, victims, and young generations pondered a pivotal question: had the training achieved its goals?
A practitioner from Western Bosnia and Herzegovina spoke sincerely. He noted how the day's experience had left an indelible mark, sparking transformative change among colleagues. Nods of agreement rippled, highlighting the training's impact.
The question lingered: what lay beyond these walls? Intentions were shared. Vows were made to integrate lessons learned into their daily work to challenge existing biases and dismantle divisive narratives.
Upon concluding the training, while exiting the building, I posed a question to one of the participants, inquiring whether she believed that disseminating today's knowledge could potentially yield even modest yet meaningful changes. Without hesitation, she responded with a succinct yet profound adage: "As you sow, so shall you reap." Hopefully, during the training the seeds of transformation had been thoughtfully sown.
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