The Divided City and the Grassroots ― The Unmaking of Ethnic Divisions in Mostar

Focusing on Mostar, a city in Bosnia Herzegovina that became the epitome of ethnic divisions during the Yugoslav wars, this cutting edge book considers processes of violent partitioning in cities. Providing an in-depth understanding of the social, political, and mundane dynamics that keep cities polarized, it examines the potential that moments of inter-ethnic collaboration hold in re-imaging these cities as other than divided. Against the backdrop of normalised practices of ethnic partitioning, the book studies both ‘planned’ and ‘unplanned’ moments of disruption; it looks at how networks of solidarity come into existence regardless of identity politics as well as the role of organised grassroots groups that attempt to create more inclusive; and it critically engages with urban spaces of resistance. Challenging the representation of the city as merely a site of ethnic divisions, the author also explores the complexities arising from living in a city that validates its citizens solely through ethnicity. Elaborating on the relationships between space, culture and social change, this book is a key read for scholars, students, and urban practitioners studying ethnically divided cities worldwide. 

Giulia Carabelli is a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Go‥ttingen, Germany. She holds a PhD in Sociology at Queen's University Belfast, a Masters in Research Architecture at Goldsmiths College, London and a BA in History of Islamic Architecture at Ca’Foscari University of Venice. Her research interests lie at the intersection of urban sociology, cultural studies, and political theory. She received the Higginson Leadership Award in 2014.