The Optimistic Anthropologist Vol. 21 (copy 01)

Sarajevo Calling

August 30, 2019

August 2019, Volume 22View this email in your browser

Dear ,

Summer is ending, school is starting up, things are busy!  So, this month's newsletter is short and sweet.

I am writing to you from Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), where I've been doing a

. A few weeks ago, a staff member at the

that I have been basing out of asked me "What is the first thing that you think of when you think of Bosnia-Herzegovina?"

Such an awesome question and such a powerful way to reveal what shapes our understanding of places, peoples, culture, history -

. My hunch is that for those of us in North America, if you think of anything, it's probably

.

And the War and its impact, as well as the

which ended the conflict and functions as BiH's constitution, are  palpable here.  However, what I'm still mulling over, and look forward to sharing more about in the coming weeks are about building and dividing diverse, multi-cultural communities.

In the mean time, I will encourage you to consider visiting Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is a beautiful country, the people are really friendly, and the culture and history are so rich (there's so much more than the war).  And if physical traveling isn't in the cards, but you want to learn more about BiH and the region, I thought I'd share a few resources that have been most useful to me!

  • Sarajevo Calling podcast - a podcast about contemporary political affairs in the Southeast Europe hosted by journalist Aleksandar Brezar and political scientist Jasmin Mujanović. The episodes on Yugonostalgia and Emigration are particularly good.

  • The History of Yugoslavia podcast - British history PhD student Alex Cruikshanks tells the history of the Balkans from the 1700s to the present.  He's currently pre-WW2.  In particular, his  discussions with scholars and his episode about participating in the Peace March in Srebrenica are particularly interesting. Also, if you like maps!

  • Love of Books: The Librarians of Sarajevo - a documentary about how three librarians, a night watchman, and a cleaner protected important Islamic illuminated manuscripts during the Siege of Sarajevo.

Of course, you can also follow along with the learning that I'm sharing along with photos on

.  I'll be sharing more out in the coming weeks.

Be well and do good,Alison

P.S.

 I'd love to catch up with you in the fall!

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