”Det finns berättelser som aldrig kommer bli berättade” : En intervjustudie om andra generationens bosniakiska diasporan i Sveriges minne av den etniska rensningen i Prijedor

Sammanfattning

The following thesis analyses how the second-generation Bosniak diaspora in Sweden remembers the ethnic cleansing in Prijedor in 1992. The aim of the study is to broaden the understanding of how the second-generation form and express their memories of the ethnic cleansing. Additionally, the paper seeks to understand whether the second-generation relates the memory of the ethnic cleansing with other traumatic events, such as other genocides, wars or ethnic cleansings. The study is based on seven semi-structured interviews with people belonging to the second-generation Bosniak diaspora in Sweden. These interviews are analysed thematically. The theories used in the analysis of the results are postmemory, Halbwachs notion of collective memory and multidirectional memory. The results show that the respondents’ memories, who are a part of the second-generation Bosniak diaspora in Sweden, are especially formed by the family histories that have been transmitted to them. The respondents’ memories are subsequently formed by commemorations and by frequent visits to the hometown of Prijedor. The memories are also expressed through these means, showing a strong memory activism and resistance against the ongoing denial in Prijedor. Furthermore, the respondents relate the memories of the ethnic cleansing in Prijedor with other historical and contemporary traumatic events, such as the Holocaust and the war in Gaza. Keywords: Postmemory, Multidirectional Memory, Collective Memory, Oral History, Bosniak Diaspora, Prijedor, Ethnic Cleansing, Memory Activism.