The Dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo, Sead Turcalo, highlighted the significance of November 25th, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) Statehood Day, stating that referencing this date within its historical and broader context underscores the continuity of BiH’s statehood as well as the continuation of its anti-fascist struggle.
“This is particularly important to emphasize in light of the 1992–1995 period when BiH once again engaged in an anti-fascist fight. Unfortunately, November 25th is not only contested by those who deny BiH as a state but often from certain ideological perspectives as well, which is entirely misguided. It’s crucial to stress the anti-fascist aspect of this date, even though BiH’s state identity historically predates it. From a values perspective, it’s essential to underline why November 25th is so important,” Turcalo explained.
He acknowledged that it has been a longstanding issue that Statehood Day is not celebrated across the entire territory of present-day BiH. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that this will change in the future, citing the resilience of BiH society against various attempts at destabilization.
“It has faced such challenges that I am convinced, despite the fact that we cannot conduct experiments in social sciences, that many societies considered more developed and possessing a more advanced political culture would not have responded to these challenges as BiH has,” said Turcalo.
“If we start with the fact that this is a post-genocidal society in which there has been no form of revenge, something present in some other post-conflict settings; if we observe that, albeit slowly, certain elements of social cohesion in BiH society are strengthening and consolidating; and if we consider that, despite the denial of the state and its statehood, BiH, having endured and survived the most horrific crimes of the 1990s, has nonetheless managed to sustain itself and address certain societal issues that, for instance, were not addressed in German society until 1968 after World War II – then, although progress may be slow, it is happening, and at times it is incredibly difficult,” said Turcalo.
He likened this process to construction efforts: “When one party builds, another tries to demolish it overnight.”
“You’re constantly facing new challenges, rebuilding again and again, but historical lessons and experiences from the past 30 years show that BiH is much stronger and more resilient than its adversaries expect,” he noted.
Turcalo views the state’s future through a long-term lens, acknowledging that the short-term political outlook appears very pessimistic.
In BiH’s potential long-term development, he foresees the strengthening of political culture, enabling citizens to recognize key elements of state development and the essence of BiH as a multiethnic, multicultural society. This society should aim to foster civic awareness that transcends collective ethnic consciousness, where protecting individual rights guarantees all collective rights while emphasizing collectivism undermines the rights of nearly every individual, particularly vulnerable groups.
“With the development of such strong awareness and political culture, citizens will realize that all elected officials are replaceable. When those elected become aware of their replaceability, they will begin working toward state development and accelerated reforms. This is a lengthy process but essentially a generational endeavor. We previously witnessed a generational effort aimed at destroying this state; now, we need an entire generation unburdened by that period to focus on building it. This cannot happen overnight; state-building is a process requiring the emergence of elites aware of its importance, as well as the strengthening of political culture to support such a vision of society,” Turcalo said.
He emphasized the role of academia in this effort, as it belongs to the societal elite in both functional and essential terms and should work on building the state, society, and awareness among citizens about the need for developing political culture.
“The role of academia is also to choose freedom, and freedom entails responsibility. By freedom, I mean the willingness to offer constructive and affirmative criticism that contributes to and reaches decision-makers in a way that makes them aware of shortcomings in their actions. Academia must also demonstrate that it is not always ready to be conformist, as often happens – seeking safety over freedom. Safety lies in saying nothing that might jeopardize one’s comfortable position,” Turcalo explained.
He stressed that a significant transformation must occur within academia to pass this mindset to the rest of society – to citizens and students educated by academia, and to the secondary and primary education levels where the upbringing of critically thinking citizens begins, N1 writes.
E.Dz.
