About Book

Re-Making Kozarac examines the post-war situation in North-West Bosnia, focusing on the minority return and reconciliation process following the ethnic cleansing that preceded Srebrenica. The book centers on the town of Kozarac, where a community demonstrated extraordinary agency and resilience in reversing ethnic cleansing and successfully re-establishing their presence. This is one of the rare successful examples of contested minority return. Through a longitudinal study, the author illustrates how the community utilized their traumatic experiences as a source of motivation for return. It contrasts the community’s pragmatic approach with international initiatives that often overlooked local agency and resilience, portraying them as powerless victims. Relevance with the Current Era along with Community Engagement Mechanism The relevance of this book is significant in today's global context of post-conflict reconstruction, where communities in similar conflict zones continue to rebuild their lives amidst ongoing challenges. The book highlights the importance of local agency in reconciliation and return, positioning the community’s own efforts above external interventions that often fail to engage meaningfully with local realities. This approach promotes community-driven peacebuilding and suggests that external peacebuilding efforts should be more attuned to local capabilities and experiences. The book’s focus on empowering local communities through active participation offers valuable lessons for community engagement mechanisms in current post-conflict societies. The book is an insightful contribution to the field of post-conflict studies, focusing on the role of agency and resilience in the process of return and reconciliation. It challenges conventional narratives of victimhood and provides a compelling case for the importance of community-driven approaches to peacebuilding. This work will be especially valuable for scholars and practitioners in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and ethnic studies.