RT Article
T1 Silence as possibility in postwar everyday life
JF International journal of transitional justice
VO 6
IS 3
SP 502
OP 524
A1 Eastmond, Marita
A2 Mannergren Selimović, Johanna 1966-
LA English
YR 2012
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1843338696
AB Silence is a form of communication as multifaceted as speech and as such conveys a broad range of contextually situated social meanings. Often silence is understood as a form of denial and inherently detrimental to processes of reconciliation, but it may help create a sense of ‘normality’ and facilitate encounters between former foes. This article enquires into the role and meanings of silence as tacit forms of communication in postwar social processes and everyday life among people of different ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly as used by the displaced and returnees. It argues that in these contentious settings, everyday social interaction employs silence in ways that empower by communicating respect and even trust, thus forming and sustaining relations important to viable local life. Silence can be used to affirm family continuity and protect close relationships. Silent claims may also ‘speak’ from a marginalized position in relation to hegemonic narratives and make moral claims. Silence may thus be understood as a pragmatic and at times successful strategy for coexistence even when reflecting continued division in the larger society.
K1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
K1 Silence
K1 Memory
K1 Displacement
K1 Returnees
DO 10.1093/ijtj/ijs026