Citation

Pollack CE. Death Stud. 2003; 27(2): 125-142.

Affiliation

University of California, School of Medicine, San Francisco, California. cpollac@itsa.ucsf.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07481180302893

PMID

12678057

Abstract

In the aftermath of tragedy, memorials and grave sites are frequently constructed. Research needs to pay attention to the goals of mourners for such places. The 1995 massacre at Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina left over 7,000 Muslim men missing and presumed dead. Five years later, families fought to bury the remains that had been collected. Qualitative interviews with 67 people, including survivors and key informants were completed over the summer of 2000. This article examines the intentions of the burial from the perspective of two groups of family members who lost loved ones: survivors who remain politically isolated and those involved in advocacy or political organizations. For the politically isolated, burial was important in reshaping individual mourning after mass death and in the face of unidentified remains. For those involved in advocacy groups, burial was a means of recognizing the past massacre, understanding the massacre's impact on current political divisions, and shaping future directions. Both mourning and political functions are elaborated on in the setting of Bosnian culture and society.

Language: en