Bosnian Phase III

PHASE III: Autobiographies, Biographies, and Historical Nonfiction

Studying the autobiographies, biographies, and historical nonfiction in Phase III helps in identifying historical happenings that influenced the culture.

     Allen, B. (1995). Rape warfare: The hidden genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
"A passionate and personal account of the contemporary genocidal campaign against people of Bosnia and Herzegovina - well documented testimony before the Hague’s War Crimes Tribunal". (BosNet: http://webwiz@bosnet.org)

    Banac, I. (1984). The national question in Yugoslavia: Origins, history, politics. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
"One of the most comprehensive accounts of the origins, development, and politics of the ex-Yugoslavia national question up to the aftermath of WWI. Although most studies on various aspects of ex-Yugoslavia’s history dealt with the national question this is one of the first general studies of the subject. Banac shows connections between the failure of Tito’s Yugoslavia and the failure of early royalist Yugoslavia, offers an explanation of why these failures were structurally unavoidable, and indicates that it was the inability of both regimes to establish a sincere and equal collaboration between South Slavic and other Balkan nationalities that finally led to destruction and disappearance of Yugoslavia. Excellent bibliography of primary sources on the period". (BosNet).

    Berman, D. (1995). In the city of lost souls. Social Studies, 86, 197-204. ERIC No. EJ 519009.
"The article describes the historical background of the current political and social turmoil in Bosnia. It asserts that the physical destruction of the landscape is a visual reminder of the disintegration of a country. The paper presents data from a research study on the impact of war on children in Sarajevo". (ERIC annotation).

    Dizdarevic, Z. (1993). Sarajevo, a war journal. New York: From International.
"Originally written as a column for a Croatian newspapers, Sarajevo... gives an account of war to all of us who have wondered (?) what would be like to live the life of a Sarajevo under siege. In his preface for this book Joseph Brodsky writes: What’s happening now in the Balkans is very simple: It is a blood bath. Terms such as Serbs, Croats or Bosnians mean absolutely nothing. Any other combination of vowels and consonants will amount to the same thing: killing people... In any case we should bear in mind that all this needn’t have happened...". This book contains the glossary of events (up to August 1993), the glossary of key persons, place and organizations, and some maps and black and white photos". (BosNet).

    Donia, R. (1981). Islam under the Double Eagle: The Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1878-1914. Boulder: Columbia University Press.
"Book about political struggle of Bosnian Muslims during the period 1878-1918. The majority of this volume deals with the period before 1899, the year that marked beginning of the Muslim movement for cultural and religious autonomy. The book discusses political aspirations, demands, and political debates of Muslim leaders during this period, and the organizational infrastructure of the Bosnian Muslim elites at the local and provincial level. Its organization is partly chronological and partly analytical. On one hand it presents basic information on ethnogenesis and social structure of the Bosnian Muslim (ch. I), origins and nature of Habsburg colonialism and the manner in which Bosnians responded to the 1878 occupation (ch. II). Chapters III, IV, and V deal with the different social composition and political histories of Sarajevo, Travnik, and Mostar, the only three towns where Muslims protests were consistently launched. At the same time "Islam..." examines the emergence of the first province-wide political institutions in 1900 (ch. VI), the program and activities of Muslims in the era of party politics from 1901 to 1914 (ch. VII) and gives some conclusion about general position of Muslims in Habsburg Empire. Excellent bibliography of this period". (BosNet).

    Donia, R., & Fine, J. (1994). Bosnia and Herzegovina, a tradition betrayed. New York: Columbia University Press.
"Written by two Balkan specialists with unimpeachable credit this book is one of the most useful histories of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It offers a far more sophisticated view of the situation than either the press or current political leaders can offer. The authors do a good job of blending ex-Yugoslav with Bosnian developments, tying past experiences and present circumstances, and destroying historical myths and misconceptions that have fueled Western indecisiveness during the Bosnian war. The volume has several excellent maps, a useful pronunciation table and glossary and several black and while plates". (BosNet).

    Dufour, J. (1994). Peacekeepers: Accounts from the front. Social Education, 58, 412-416. ERIC No. EJ 495537.
T"he article presents two interviews with soldiers assigned to United Nations peacekeeping efforts. It outlines nine steps in any UN peacekeeping operation. The paper includes 13 quotes gathered from soldiers and UN officials involved in peacekeeping in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East". (ERIC annotation)

    Fine, J. (1975). The Bosnian Church: A new interpretation. Boulder: East European Quarterly.
"The link between the Bosnian Church (bogomils) and the Bosnians’ conversions to Islam is one of the most contested points in the history of Bosnian people - this link (and connected questions) is at the same time at the heart of the academic debate on the origin of the Bosnian Muslims. Fine points that there is no evidence about direct connection between Bosnian heretics/bogomils and Islamization and that there was no need for Bosnians to embrace Islam in order to retain their land or "save their lives". He also suggests that although the so-called heretic bogomils converted in great numbers, the evidence points to a multidirectional change of religion - Catholics accepted Islam or Orthodoxy, Orthodox believers turned to Catholicism or converted to Islam, partly because of the absence of any strong church organization in the religion". (BosNet).

    Jelavich, B. (1983). History of the Balkans. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
"Designed as an introduction to Balkan history this book covers both Balkan internal development and the place of the peninsula in history. Major European events, political, philosophical and economic theories necessary to the narrative are also covered. It has two volumes. The first gives a general introduction of the major historical events in the 17th century and discusses in detail 18th and 19th century - the rule of Ottomans and Habsburgs and the subsequent national movements in the Balkans are emphasized. in international relations this volume covers the events from the conclusion of the treaty of Karlowitz in 1699 to the signing of an agreement on the Balkans between Russia and the Habsburgs in 1897. The second volume covers the events of the 20th century up to 1980. The major topics are the completion of the territorial unification of the modern nation-states; the great wars and their consequences and the measures taken to meet the enormous political, social, and economic problems faced by the "new" Balkan nations in the 20th century world. Excellent maps and illustrations". (BosNet).

    Tanay, E. (1994). Croatian and Bosnian children’s art in times of war.Journal of Art and Design Education, 13 235-240. ERIC No. EJ 519043.
"
The article examines the effects of wartime trauma on the artistic expression of 35 Bosnian and Croatian children, ages 4-12. Discusses their cognitive development in terms of the Intuitive-Symbolic and Concrete-Operative levels. It includes examples of representative paintings". (ERIC annotation).