After the war, Mostar is shaped by struggles over memory and the future
2.6.2026 13:02:00 CEST | Umeå University | Press Release
What should be preserved, rebuilt or forgotten after a war? A new study from Umeå University shows how conflicts over history, identity and the future continue to shape the Bosnian city of Mostar, three decades after the Bosnian War.
The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995 left large parts of the city of Mostar in ruins. But rebuilding the city has involved far more than repairing houses and streets. This is highlighted in new research from Umeå University.
According to Matheus Souza, a doctoral student in political science, the city’s urban spaces still carry different narratives about the past and competing visions of the future.
Key findings of the research
• The city’s urban spaces are still shaped by conflicts over memory, identity and the future.
• For some people, the remaining war ruins symbolised stagnation and a need for modernisation, while others saw them as important for memory and continuity.
• Conflicts over the city’s future became visible in memorial sites, commercial projects and artistic initiatives.
• Peace after war is not only about political agreements or the absence of violence.
• Urban development after war is not only a technical or economic issue.
Quotes
“My research shows that places are never experienced solely as physical locations. They are also shaped by different memories of the past, experiences of the present and expectations for the future,” says Matheus Souza.
“Peace is also shaped through the organisation of urban space and time: through whether people are able to maintain continuity in everyday life, whether they can recognise themselves in the city around them and whether they can imagine sustainable futures after the war,” says Matheus Souza.
Read the full research
Space, Time and Peace in Post-War Mostar
More information
For more information or interview requests, please contact Matheus Souza
A longer article will be published on www.umu.se/en under Social Sciences
Keywords
Contacts
Matheus SouzaDoctoral student in political scienceUmeå University
Tel:+46 90 786 73 99matheus.souza@umu.sewww.umu.se/en/staff/matheus-souza/Charlotte StåhlCommunications Officer and press contactSocial Sciences
Tel:+4690 786 74 89charlotte.stahl@umu.sewww.umu.se/personal/charlotte-stahl/Images
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