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ABSTRACT
The present contribution aims to propose a definition of what is often referred to as a ‘martyred city’, a notion widely used in the media and the public sphere, but still largely understudied in academia. By looking at two cities in the former Yugoslavia – Sarajevo and Vukovar – this article presents the way in which a place can be associated with the notion of martyrdom through memorial sites and practices, such as war museums and tourism. The ‘martyred city’ is a way to memorialize past traumatic events, but also a means to achieve diverse agendas and objectives. It is finally stated that the distinction between ‘victims’ and ‘martyrs’ is often blurred, and a shift from the former to the latter can be observed.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. Agenzia Fides (2012, June 4). ‘The desolation of Homs and the war of information’: The words of a Greek-catholic Bishop. Vatican News.; Milan Rai (2013, April) Fallujah, city of martyrs. PeaceNews.Info; Fausto Giudice (2015, April 26) 26 April 1937: The tragedy of Guernica. Tlaxcala; lena Cueto Asín (2012, September 17) Guernica and Guernica in British and American Poetry. The Volunteer.
2. The village of Oradour-sur-Glane in France was destroyed in 10 June 1944. The Waffen-SS massacred more than 600 of its inhabitants, including women and children.
3. Luis Antonio Bolín was the director of the National Service of Tourism.
4. Translated from French by the author.
5. Republic of Serbian Krajina.
6. devoir de mémoire in French.
7. Translated from the French version by the author.
8. ‘Defender’ in Croatian. They were mainly composed of soldiers and inhabitants who decided to stay in the town to fight the assailants. They have acquired a valorized status after the war and some of them are now even considered heros by Croats.
9. Jugoslovenska narodna armija (JNA).
10. In Sarajevo, it was transformed into the ‘Bosnian Serb Army’ soon after the beginning of hostilities.
11. Bosnia-Herzegovina is divided in two entities. The Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina administrated by Bosniaks and Croats (51% of the territory) and the Republika Srpska administrated by Serbs (49% of the territory). The demarcation line also passes through Sarajevo, placing the Eastern part of the Bosnian capital in the Republika Srpska.
12. The interviewee is referring to hostages held in Libya in 2011.
13. This ruined water tower is now an important memorial attached to the Croatian War.
14. The siege (August–November 1991), The ‘Serb Krajina Vukovar’ (1991–1995) and the ‘Croatian Vukovar’ after the whole reintegration of the Croatian territory (1998-present).
15. Serbian Democratic and Independent Party (Samostalna demokratska srpska strank).
16. Croatia at a glance: http://onecroatia.info/en/destinacije/vukovar-2/ (December 2013).
17. Vukovar Tourism Office: http://www.turizamvukovar.hr/index.php?lang=en (December 2013).
18. The Chetnik movement was founded during the Second World War to support the exiled government of Yugoslavia. It was first supported by the Allies who then decided to back up the Partisans of Tito. Some Serbian paramilitaries groups have used this designation during the wars in the nineties.
19. Excerpt from the Izetbegović Museum (Sarajevo, 2011).
20. Rossini, A. (2013, May 17). Bosnia-Herzegovina: The Garden of delights at the Venice Biennale. Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso.
21. Excerpt from the Historical Museum (Sarajevo, 2011).
22. UNEP (United Nation Environment Program) & GRID (Global Resource Information Data-base) (2007) Balkans. Vital Graphics. Environment without borders. Zemun, p. 3.
23. Crevar, A. (2013, October 9) 36 Hours in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The New York Times.