Das Wiederfinden der Sprache – zur Bewältigung der jugoslawischen Nachfolgekriege
Re-establishing Dialogue and Communication – How to Come to Terms with the Yugoslavian Wars

Summary/Abstract: The ability for dialogue and communication within Yugoslavia had already suffered since the rise of Milosevic in 1986; it got completely lost during the wars of 1991-1995. How would the people “rediscover the language” under the condition of new frontiers and after the experience of ethnic cleansing and flight? – First of all, the communication via trade recovered, the shopping centre “Arizona” near Brcko flourished already in 1996. Re-establishing the traffic connections didn’t mean to reconstruct bridges only but to overcome the “frontiers in the head”. The reopening of the Old Bridge at Mostar in summer 2004 was of symbolic significance on this way. – Meanwhile, the successor states established diplomatic relations. The common aim to participate in the process of European integration furthers the readiness for cooperation and dialogue. As for the refugees, it seems that nobody is really reckoning with a large-scale reversal of the changes on the ethnic map. – Rediscovering the language in a literal sense is not difficult because of the linguistic preconditions. The common interest in the domestic scene of modern music is a link that survived from pre-war times. But still it is hard to speak about history and to discuss the roots of the wars. The memorial culture in the successor states is getting differentiated, dependent on the experience and interpretation of the wars. Especially in multi-national and multi-confessional Bosnia-Herzegovina religious symbols tend to serve as national symbols as well. Despite many lacks, the “rediscovery of the language” made great progress in many fields. Most important, apart from Kosovo, the newly established political frameworks are beyond question. One has to accommodate to them.

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