“Refugee return in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Coexistence before reconciliation.”

Source: (2001) In Reconciliation, Justice, and Coexistence: Theory & Practice, ed. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, pp. 291-310. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.

In the first half of the 1990s devastating violence among ethnic and religious groups afflicted much of ex-Yugoslavia, especially Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Dayton Agreement of late 1995 ended the hostilities in general. Thus began a complex and difficult post-agreement period aimed at reconstruction. The return of refugees to the area is considered integral to the social, political, and economic rebuilding. However, coexistence between majority and minority members of the different communities is highly problematic. Hart discusses efforts at reconciliation, obstacles to those efforts, theory for the practice of reconciliation, practice derived from theory, breaking the cycle of victimhood and aggression, and forgiveness and justice.