Martyrs, memory, and agency : the social afterlife of Muslim war victims in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Hamer, Petra (avtor)

T his article examines the social afterlife of šehidi (martyrs) in northwestern Bosnia-Herzegovina, analysing how their presence endures through cemeteries, commemorations, and everyday rituals. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, it explores how sites such as šehidska mezarja (martyrs’ cemeteries), as well as practices such as dženaza (funerals) and recitations of Al-Fatiha, articulate absence-presence and sustain continuing bonds between the living and the dead. Engaging with concepts of deathscapes and continuing bonds, the article shows that šehidi are not perceived as mere ghosts but act as agents whose remembrance reshape landscapes, politics, and identities. It considers the institutionalisation of martyrdom, the “cult of šehid,” and the economic and symbolic privileges afforded to survivors’ families. By juxtaposing local practices with artistic and transnational memorial projects, the article highlights how the dead continue to influence the living, rendering memory and mourning both intimate and deeply political.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: cultural anthropology, history, religion, islam, Muslims, martyrdom, martyrs, šehidi, funerals, martyrs’ cemeteries, mourning, memory, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: FF - Filozofska fakulteta
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Datum objave: 01.01.2026
• Leto izida: 2026
• Št. strani: Str. 35-58
• Številčenje: Roč. 113, č. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-181296
• UDK: 233-34:28(497.6)
• ISSN pri članku: 0009-0794
• DOI: 10.21104/CL.2026.1.03
• COBISS.SI-ID: 273703171
• Datum objave v RUL: 31.03.2026

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Český lid : etnologický časopis
• Skrajšan naslov: Čes. lid
• Založnik: Etnologický ústav Akademie věd České republiky
• ISSN: 0009-0794
• COBISS.SI-ID: 24599

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva-Nekomercialno-Brez predelav 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: Najbolj omejujoča licenca Creative Commons. Uporabniki lahko prenesejo in delijo delo v nekomercialne namene in ga ne smejo uporabiti za nobene druge namene.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: kulturna antropologija, zgodovina, religija, islam, muslimani, mučeništvo, mučeniki, šehidi, pogrebi, pokopališča, žalovanje, spomin, Bosna in Hercegovina

Projekti

• Financer: EC - European Commission
• Številka projekta: 101095729
• Naslov: The roles of the agency of the dead in the lives of individuals in contemporary society
• Akronim: DEAGENCY