Abstract
The purposes of this chapter are twofold: to explore the representations that NGO members hold concerning two of the main actors in Bosnia–Herzegovina, civil society and the political elite; and to discuss the impact of these representations on the prospects of justice and peace in the country. How are civil society and the political elite perceived in the NGO world? Are they considered legitimate political or moral authorities to promote peace and justice? What are the implications of these representations for transitional justice in BiH? This chapter suggests that these important questions need to be considered to build a contextually grounded, bottom-up approach to transitional justice.
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Notes
- 1.
I spent 5 months in BiH and collected my thoughts and feelings resulting from that experience in a field diary, especially in relation to conversations and interactions with locals. Although this was inspired by the methodology of ethnographic observation, it was limited by my poor knowledge of the language.
- 2.
Before each interview, I briefly explained the purpose of my research as part of my PhD studies at the University of Coimbra (Portugal), and assured interviewees that data would be used solely for the purposes of my research and in an anonymous way. Then, I would ask their permission to record the interview. Interviewees were encouraged to express their personal opinions and hence they may not represent the position of the NGO they are working for.
- 3.
Within the FBiH, I interviewed members of the following NGOs: the International Crisis Group (ICG), Transparency international BiH, Wings of Hope, Nansen Dialogue Center (NDC), Youth Information Agency (OIA), a member of both Scouts of BIH and Youth Press of BIH, a member of the banks’ Syndicate; a Judge working for USAID Justice Sector Development Project II, Sarajevo; a local journalist working for the UNDP; a local journalist working for the Center for Media Development and Analysis; a member of the Association Pravnik and a former member of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in BiH. Within the Republika Srpska I only had time to conduct four interviews, all in Banja Luka: with representatives from the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly (hCa) Banja Luka, the Centre for Informative Decontamination of Youth, with one local journalist working for Radio Free Europe, and with one of the political advisors for the Office of the High Representative. Given the aims and framework of this study, variables such as age, sex and ethnicity were not considered as a priori categories. The urban focus of the research as well as the imbalance between the number of the interviews in the two entities is acknowledged as constraining the generalization of the results.
- 4.
In the original Bosnian language this saying is: ‘Ne možeš me platiti tako malo, koliko malo ja mogu raditi’. The translation to the English language was made by my interviewee.
- 5.
In 2009, the problem of visa restrictions impeding BiH citizens from travelling to the EU was a prevailing concern.
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Seixas, E.C. (2013). How Activists See Civil Society and the Political Elite in Bosnia: Relevance to Prospects of Transitional Justice. In: Simić, O., Volčič, Z. (eds) Transitional Justice and Civil Society in the Balkans. Springer Series in Transitional Justice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5422-9_5
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