Surviving the Bosnian Genocide

Selma Leydesdorff, Kay Richardson

Description

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In July 1995, the Army of the Serbian Republic killed some 8,000 Bosnian men and boys in and around the town of Srebrenica—the largest mass murder in Europe since World War II. Surviving the Bosnian Genocide is based on the testimonies of 60 female survivors of the massacre who were interviewed by Dutch historian Selma Leydesdorff. The women, many of whom still live in refugee camps, talk about their lives before the Bosnian war, the events of the massacre, and the ways they have tried to cope with their fate. Though fragmented by trauma, the women tell of life and survival under extreme conditions, while recalling a time before the war when Muslims, Croats, and Serbs lived together peaceably. By giving them a voice, this book looks beyond the rapes, murders, and atrocities of that dark time to show the agency of these women during and after the war and their fight to uncover the truth of what happened at Srebrenica and why.

Acknowledgments
On the Publication of the English Edition
List of abbreviations
Preface: What Happened Before

Sabaheta's Story
1. Farewell: The Desolation, the Women
2. An Orphaned World: Life before the War
3. War is Coming
4. Living on the Run, Living in Danger
5. A Human Shooting Gallery—Srebrenica 1992-1995
6. Violence
7. Departure without Arrival

Notes
Index

Sujets

• Women's Studies
• 20th Century
• Social Science
• Ethnic
• Modern
• HISTORY
• Sociologie, société et politique
• Women
• Modern history
• Cold War
• Ethnic group
• Eastern Europe
• Woman
• Social sciences
• Russian
• History of Europe
• The Women
• Eastern
• Obermodern-Zutzendorf
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: Indiana University Press
• Date de parution: 03 octobre 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780253005298
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Surviving the Bosnian Genocide

Surviving the Bosnian Genocide R Te Women of Srebrenica Speak

S ELMA L EYDESDORFF T K R RANSLATED BY AY ICHARDSON

Indiana University Press Bloomingon and Indianapoliŝ

Publication of tis work as been made possible wit te financial support of te Dutc Foundation for Literature.

his book is a publication of Indiana University Press  Nort Morton Street Bloomington, Indiana - USA

iupress.indiana.edu

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-- -- [e-mail]

Originally publised as Selma Leydesdorff,De leege acer onŝ laen: Een geŝciedeniŝ van de vrouen van srebrenica(Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, ). ©  by Selma Leydesdorff

Englis translation ©  by Indiana University Press

All rigts reserved

No part of tis book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, elec- tronic or mecanical, including potocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, witout permission in writing from te publiser. he Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes te only exception to tis proibition.

•he paper used in tis publication meets te minimum requirements of te American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z.-.

Manufactured in te United States of America

Library of Congreŝŝ Caaloging-in-Publicaion Daa

Leydesdorff, Selma.  [Leegte acter ons laten. Englis]  Surviving te Bosnian genocide : te women of Srebrenica speak / Selma  Leydesdorff ; translated by Kay Ricardson.  p. cm.  “Originally publised as Selma Leydesdorff, De leegte acter ons laten : Een gescie-  denis van de vrouwen van Srebrenica (Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 008)”—T.p. verso.  Includes bibliograpical references and index.  ISBN 7----7 (clot : alk. paper) — ISBN 7---- (pbk. : alk.  paper) . Yugoslav War, –—Atrocities—Bosnia and Hercegovina—Srebrenica—  Personal narratives. . War widows—Bosnia and Hercegovina—Srebrenica. I. Title.  DR..SL   .7—dc  

          

All people are born free All people are equal before God All people are innocent until proven guilty All people are good until some do evil All people are rigteous until some do te unrigteous All men of Srebrenica were alive until some were murdered All people are innocent until tose wo committed crimes are judged Evil is forever, but not absolute Good is absolute, but sometimes absent.

We ave come ere to listen To tose wo cried for elp To te Heaven and te Eart To te Day and to te Nigt To te Word and to te Omnipotent. In order tat te sword be taken away From tose wo ave murdered during te day and te nigt. We ave come ere To see te trut wit our own eyes, about ourselves and about tem.

Teac us tat tolerance is te igest form of power And te desire to wreak vengeance he first sign of weakness.

If we sin against people Give us te strengt to ask forgiveness If people sin against us Give us te strengt to forgive!

May grief become ope! May revenge become rigteousness! May te tears of te moters become prayers hat Srebrenica never appens again.

—IMAM CEKIĆ, reis-ul-ulema of Bosnia-Herzegovina, at te memorial for Srebrenica, July , 

C

 Translator’s Note  Preface: Wat Happened Before  Acknowledgments  On te Publication of te Englis Edition

 Abbreviations  Sabaeta’s Story ONE  Farewell: he Desolation, te Women TWO  An Orpaned World: Life before te War THREE  War Is Coming FOUR on te Run, Living in Danger Living FIVE Human Sooting Gallery: Srebrenica – A SIX  Violence SEVEN  Departure witout Arrival

 Notes  Index

ix xi xvii xxi xxiii 

7  0 8 0 0 78

3 3

T’ N

I would like to tank Ian Priestnall, an old colleague and dear friend, for is superb professional advice on te finer points of translation and is personal encouragement and support during te process.