Balkan Diskurs is a non-profit, multimedia platform created and run by a regional network of journalists, bloggers, multimedia artists, and activists who came together in response to the lack of objective, relevant, invigorating, independent media in the Western Balkans.
Latest posts by Balkan Diskurs
Celebrating the ex-Yugoslav music scene, hall of fame style
Inspired by the Musicians Hall of Fame, American expat Will Richard set up the EX-Yugo Rock Center (EYRC) in Sarajevo, celebrating its legacy and impact during the last decades of the 20th century.
‘The Colorless': A film that captures the possibility of not belonging to ethnic molds in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The film about children from ethnically mixed marriages who, stigmatized as ‘half-breeds,’ stirs debate in Bosnian and Herzegovinian society, where both legal framework and dominant narratives support ethno-nationalist exclusivity.
Tunnel of Hope: A means of survival during the Sarajevo Siege
In an effort to survive and communicate with the outside world during the nearly four-year long siege (1992–1996), Sarajevo residents dug a tunnel in the yard of the Kolar family.
A Bosnian perspective on the US fight for reproductive rights
Bosnia and Herzegovina's recent history of forced pregnancy in the context of genocidal rape has set this Balkan nation on a track to protect the right to choose one’s own reproductive destiny.
Croatian LGBTQ+ college student association normalizes differences at Zagreb Law Faculty
In less than two years, Croatian gay–straight alliance student association ZA-Pravo has gained the attention of LGBTQ+ students and the general public by creating a safe space for all.
Bosnia and Herzegovina diaspora: A vague perception of home and homeland
Balkan Diskurs survey indicates that Bosnians living abroad express conflicting feelings, from an idealized picture of positive aspects of the old homeland, to repeated disappointment with the reality of political and economic status quo.
Yugoslav monuments: Forgotten places of resistance and memory
Before the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia broke up, there were countless sites erected to honor the victims of the Second World War. These monuments are largely in disrepair now.
Sarajevo Stands with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people
Bosnians expressed empathy for the suffering people of Ukraine, based on their still fresh memories of their own suffering during the 1990s war, including the 3-year long siege of Sarajevo.
‘I didn't ask for it!': Four women fighting against gender-based violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The spontaneous decision to host a page where women would anonymously share their experiences of sexual assault and harassment has received a response far beyond anything the activists expected.
How new generations are reinventing antifascism in Bosnia and Herzegovina
"How can we truly recognize manifestations of fascism and antifascism in societies that are free from direct physical conflict, where the definition of the 'other side' is becoming progressively more blurry ... ?"
Invisible scars result from patriarchal tolerance of gender-based violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Due to the deep-rooted patriarchal structure of society in Bosnia and Herzegovina, domestic violence is often perceived as a corrective measure of the strong over the weak family members.
Combatting stereotypes: The need to recognize male victims of wartime sexual violence in Bosnia
According to testimony, the systematic scope and nature of conflict-related sexual violence against men demonstrate that it was an instrument of ethnic cleansing through the destruction of families and communities.
Critical thinking is crucial to progressive art: Bosnian musicologist Amila Ramović
Amila Ramović, assistant professor at the department of music theory and pedagogy at the Music Academy of the University of Sarajevo, talks about critical thinking through art.
An investment in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s future: Compensating survivors of wartime sexual violence
"Whether because of physical disability, psychological trauma or community stigmatization, many survivors face barriers to earning a living, which, unfortunately, may lead to a permanent reduction in their quality of life."
Supporting witnesses: First step towards ending impunity for war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina
"What is often overlooked is the most important precursor to ending impunity: a secure environment in which survivors can testify, free from intimidation, severe retraumatization, and threats of physical harm."
Queer resilience and activism in Bosnia and Herzegovina
"Since the 2019 Pride March, queer activists have observed a changing political, legal, and social environment, and have achieved some key successes."
Dealing with the legacy of wartime sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina
More than one-third of all individuals brought before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, set up to prosecute war crimes, "were convicted on charges of sexual violence."
The history of the Sarajevo Haggadah, the medieval Jewish book that survived the Inquisition, the Holocaust, and the Yugoslav Wars
When Nazi Germany occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Haggadah was hidden at the mosque of a Muslim village in the Bjelašnica Mountain, where it remained until the end of the war.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, volunteers defend stranded migrants against local rebuke
In Bosnia's third-largest city, migrants have been residing in and around the main bus station and relying on a group of volunteers for relief.
Women's cooperative in Srebrenica produces ‘protective masks for everyone’
"There are not a lot of us in Srebrenica and we need to stick together through communion and mutual care."
Mitrovica Rock School unites young Albanians and Serbs in a segregated Kosovo city
In a segregated Kosovo city, where residents rarely talk to people of different ethnicity, a school restoring the rock music tradition of former Yugoslavia builds friendship between Albanians and Serbs.
