+ Bosnia & Herzegovina - A Brief Introduction

Three decades after the Dayton Agreement ended Europe’s most devastating conflict since World War II, Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to be plagued by divisive, identity-based politics and is socially divided along wartime identities and narratives. Horrors were inflicted on all groups, although not in equal measure, and included ethnic cleansing, concentration camps, half the population displaced, and genocide, all of which have left the country battling with competing narratives of victimization and unaddressed trauma. Religious groups in BiH have contributed both to peacebuilding efforts and to an atmosphere of exclusion, distrust, and violence, but some have also been pivotal in catalyzing and sustaining progressive peacebuilding efforts. Religious identities have played a role in ethnic identity formation, including the sacralization of nationality which legitimizes intolerance toward other groups. However, BiH also has a long history of inter-religious respect and collaboration across differences. For that reason, BiH is home to a unique generation of peacebuilders who grew up with a deep affection for their religious neighbors but who have also been dealing with alternative facts, dueling narratives, inflammatory rhetoric, and the political weaponization of religious and ethnic identities for the past 25 years. Their wisdom and experiences in peacebuilding across ethnic and religious boundaries can inspire and shape peacebuilding approaches elsewhere in the world.

+ Our Local Partners

Peace Catalyst BiH staff have developed partnerships and working relationships with a variety of local organizations to engage in peacebuilding work, including Mali Koraci (Small Steps), The Peace Academy Foundation, Center for Peacebuilding (CIM), The Network for Peacebuilding, PRONI Center for Youth Development, and Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR). We also work with local religious leaders, churches, and mosques to introduce peace-oriented themes and skills into religious spaces. We continue to cultivate relationships with international Christian groups in order to advocate for peace-oriented theology and approaches in Christian work and ministry and to train Christians to get involved in peacebuilding, including the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA), The World Evangelical Alliance’s Peace & Reconciliation Network (PRN), Youth With a Mission (YWAM), and Baptists Church networks. Peace Catalyst BiH has also partnered with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Nanovic Institute for European Studies (Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame) to host international trips.

+ What People Are Saying

"Trauma is ubiquitous, and awareness of the ways it impacts individuals and communities is essential for anyone who works with people. This course has raised my awareness to be better able to support not only my community work but also to appreciate more fully the stories of my own family and friends." -UK Leadership Coach & Trauma-Sensitive Peacebuilding course participant

**“Please bring more self-reflective and minority voices from the West. Their perspectives are so valuable to us in BiH to see how the challenges we face are so similar everywhere.” ** -2019 Catalyze Serb participant

”This type of collaborative trip is the way of the future. We must all learn to live out the Gospel in this way everywhere.” -American Church Leader & 2019 Catalyze participant

“My life changed from the experiences I had in Sarajevo” -Catalyze 2019 participant

“My trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina was easily the most impactful experience in my academic career. Why? - the people. Our facilitators, guest speakers, local academic counterparts, and their families went above and beyond to welcome us to their beautiful and complex country. To spend an entire week with a truly generous, humble, kind, and courageous group of people, who acknowledge strength in religious diversity, was a testament to peacebuilding in action. The memories and friends I made on this trip will stay with me, and I am honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to engage equitably as an ally, partner, and learner - and not as an outside expert or spectator. I look forward to applying the lessons learnt, to my career in peacebuilding and global affairs.” -Notre Dame student & & participant in the 2022 Nanovic Institute faculty-led student trip