Cultures of memory, landscapes of forgetting: The case study of the Partisan memorial Cemetery in mostar

Abstract

The war and political turmoil in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s had an impact on the creation of new cultural and political identities, but also mnemonic systems. In order to delineate the social dynamics we considered the changes that the spaces shaped during socialism as places of memory had gone through. By researching that process, the creation of the landscapes of forgetting is being analysed. The paper focuses on the Partisan Cemetery, a monument from 1965 in Mostar. It sheds light on the changes in spatial planning practices, but also everyday practices related to the memorial cemetery. In conclusion, younger generations of Mostar residents' narratives on the Partisan Cemetery and its (possible) usages are analysed.