February Awakening in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Story About Identities Beyond the Hopelessness of Ordinary Life

Mgr. Haris Husarić

Master's thesis

Abstract:

The acts of social unrest that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina in February 2014, referred to as February events, in which hundreds of workers joined by the youth, students, and all of those socially discontent, took to the streets, clashing with the police, burning authorities' buildings, and later organized public assembly, exhibit very specific symbolism. In the eyes of most of citizens, burning the authorities' buildings was an act of anger and rebellion against terrible social conditions. The sudden outburst happened after years of stagnation of social life, which resulted from the legacy of the contenitous politics - the legacy that led Tuzla, once the heartland of labor force, trough the post-socialistic transition, taking over the industrial complexes and national resources, creating extreme stratification within the society, enslaving the citizens and creating a seething conflict that, at the end, burst in acts of violence. My aim is to bring together the social aspect of the February events with the very interesting symbolism by utilizing set of theoretical concepts in establishing an explanation of the February events as an awakening – an acts of liberation from the legacy of the last 20 years politics. I assert, nevertheless, that the explosion of anger and hopelessness – not accidentally - started in Tuzla, relying on historical continuity of workers struggle and solidarity, as well as on narratives that had been treated as less significant or had been completely erased from the collective memory of the last 20 years.

Abstract:

The acts of social unrest that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina in February 2014, referred to as February events, in which hundreds of workers joined by the youth, students, and all of those socially discontent, took to the streets, clashing with the police, burning authorities' buildings, and later organized public assembly, exhibit very specific symbolism. In the eyes of most of citizens, burning the authorities' buildings was an act of anger and rebellion against terrible social conditions. The sudden outburst happened after years of stagnation of social life, which resulted from the legacy of the contenitous politics - the legacy that led Tuzla, once the heartland of labor force, trough the post-socialistic transition, taking over the industrial complexes and national resources, creating extreme stratification within the society, enslaving the citizens and creating a seething conflict that, at the end, burst in acts of violence. My aim is to bring together the social aspect of the February events with the very interesting symbolism by utilizing set of theoretical concepts in establishing an explanation of the February events as an awakening – an acts of liberation from the legacy of the last 20 years politics. I assert, nevertheless, that the explosion of anger and hopelessness – not accidentally - started in Tuzla, relying on historical continuity of workers struggle and solidarity, as well as on narratives that had been treated as less significant or had been completely erased from the collective memory of the last 20 years.

Keywords

Labor, worker's struggle, solidarity, direct democracy, collective memory, narratives, ethno-national logic, identity

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 25. 5. 2015

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 16. 6. 2015
• Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Csaba Szaló, Ph.D.
• Reader: Mgr. Benjamin Jeremiah Vail, Ph.D.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Social Studies

Master programme / field:
Sociology / Sociology (Eng.)