Divergent Stories, Convergent Attitudes

Doctoral dissertation of Pilvi Torsti is a pioneering work in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina in several ways.

It presents Bosnian results of the international Youth and History research which was among the first large research projects carried in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. The work also analyses the general history culture present in the post-war society using such materials as tourist guides, monuments, buildings part of cultural heritage and so forth concluding the national division of history culture and separate stories present among the three Bosnian communities, Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims). The division of schooling and the opposing and nationally hostile school history textbook presentations are also part of the scope of the research. The research is written to serve several audiences. One chapter is devoted to the history of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina and each of the three main analyses (presence of history within society, history textbooks and Youth and History survey) form a separate chapter. Conclusions of the research should be of interest to anyone involved in international crisis-prevention or post-crisis policy-making. "Undoubtedly, the study contains new and innovative insights. It is related to the top of debates in history, political science and cultural science. It carefully and diligently uses large parts of an enormous amount of material and adds important points to our knowledge." - Professor Bodo von Borries, Director of the Youth and History research project, University of Hamburg.