Dissertation
[ anticipated completion April 2025]
"The Dynamics of Cross-Ethnic Relationships in Ethnically Polarized Spaces: A Study of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Israel"
Ethnically polarized settings are marked by a high degree of ethnic segregation, often enacted and reinforced by both public and private institutions. Although these settings do not entirely prevent interactions, segregation limits most contact between members of different ethnic groups to superficial and transient exchanges, reducing the likelihood of forming close, lasting relationships—and, by extension, improving intergroup relations (Pettigrew and Tropp, 2006). This dissertation examines the nature of cross-ethnic relationships in two ethnically polarized settings with histories of recurrent ethnic conflict and violence. Drawing on data from 100 qualitative interviews and 400 surveys conducted in Israel and Bosnia and Herzegovina between 2021 and 2022, I analyze personal cross-ethnic networks to explore micro- and meso-level predictors of cross-ethnic relationships. I also examine how structural limitations imposed by institutionalized segregation are navigated by individuals as they form and sustain these relationships.
Method: qualitative & quantitative network analysis
Work in Progress
"Slow Memory and mnemonic polarization in Bosnia and Herzegovina: How memory activists, family units, and interpersonal cross-ethnic relationshipsgrapple with ethnoreligious narratives"
with Dr. Véronique Labonté and Emina Zoletić
What do slower processes mean for peace and conflict scholars working in the field of memory politics? What are its particularities in highly polarized mnemonic communities divided strictly along ethnoreligious lines? We examine these questions using three sets of fieldwork data collected using semi-structured and biographical interviews and participant observation in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 2021-2024. Employing Slow Memory as a theoretical framework, we examine memory activism, intergenerational transmission of memory, and memory’s role in interpersonal cross-ethnic relationships. Specifically, we evaluate contextual factors contributing to the slower progress of transitional justice, as well as the dynamics surrounding remembrance from grassroots perspectives. The authors’ interdisciplinary backgrounds and frameworks facilitate analysis of the multiple and differentiated sociopolitical transformations and mnemonic patterns that occur in post-conflict contexts and are applicable beyond Bosnia and Herzegovina. We thus offer a template for advancing an interdisciplinary and collaborative framework for future studies on Slow Memory.
Method: ethnography, thematic analysis
"The Problem with Memory Institutionalization: A case study of Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina"
with Ajla Henić-Sarajlić
Post-conflict societies typically have contested mnemonic spaces where different groups compete to control the narratives of the past. Victimhood is thereby defined along narrow lines, such that they present a homogenous image of the victim and the society that constituted the prewar community. Bosnia and Herzegovina's representations are characterized by ethnonational divisions, resulting in exclusive narratives that fuel conflict and obstruct sustainable peace. Despite the promotion of inclusive memory initiatives that seek to reconcile diverse narratives into a single institutionalized representation, the efficacy of these approaches remains questionable. Based on the case study of Prijedor in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this paper delves into the intricate dynamics of mnemonic contestation and the mechanisms of memory institutionalization, encompassing revisionism, exclusion, and silence. This research specifically investigates the potential drawbacks of memory institutionalization, with an emphasis on the strategies and techniques employed for achieving narrative uniformity. Our research is rooted in the extant literature on social memory, which delineates individual, social, and international memory, and is guided by our theoretical framework of memory regimes. Our findings elucidate the intricate nature of post-war memory landscapes, demonstrating that attempts to mandate memory often impede peace by bolstering ethnonational memory entrepreneurs, who subsequently perpetuate the homogenization of narratives and exclude individual experiences. These individual stories are critical for bridging group divisions and cultivating a more inclusive mnemonic space. This study contributes to the broader discourse on post-war memory by underscoring the need for a more refined approach to memory politics in conflict-affected societies.
Method: theory development, discourse analysis
"How do different forms of contact between ethnoreligious groups impact interfaith marriage? A case study of Bosnia and Herzegovina."
This paper examines the cumulative effect of contact between ethnic groups by looking at how having different and multiple types of relationships with ethnic others influences the likelihood of ethnic intermarriage. Drawing upon the case study of Bosnia and the relationships among her majority ethnoreligious groups (Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs), and using an omnibus survey of 2,500 individuals in Bosnia compiled by Kantar TNS MIB, I explore how different types of contact between ethnic groups affect the probability of interfaith marriages or domestic partnerships.
Method: logistical regression