Oral Histories
The Center for Bosnian Studies oral history project (formerly the Bosnia Memory Project) is a historical and cultural documentation effort committed to establishing an enduring record of the experiences of Bosnian genocide survivors and their families, including a younger generation born after the genocide. In cooperation with Saint Louis University, Center for Bosnian Studies faculty, students and staff collaborate with members of St. Louis' Bosnian community to record interviews of Bosnian survivors and their relatives, including a younger generation born outside of Bosnia. The Center for Bosnian Studies also collects books, documents and photographs that reflect the culture and experiences of Bosnians in St. Louis and beyond.
Everyone's story is important. The Center for Bosnian Studies is interested in interviewing anyone who is from Bosnia-Herzegovina or whose parents are from Bosnia-Herzegovina, regardless of age, gender, religion, ethnicity, experience, profession, or level of education. We are also interested in interviewing people from other parts of the former Yugoslavia.
Yes. Either an audio or an audio-video recording will be made, depending on the preference of the speaker. Recordings will be housed at Saint Louis University and will be made available to students and researchers. Recordings will NOT be made available on the internet without the permission of the speaker.
Yes, if needed. We can also conduct interviews in Bosnian.
Between one and two hours.
Unless you specify otherwise, the interview will be made available immediately, though only the records will be available to the general public. However, you can specify that the interview be kept sealed for a period of up to 30 years. We will preserve all interviews for future generations of scholars and researchers.
There is no standard set of questions. Instead, the speaker is encouraged to talk about his or her personal experience, recounting what life was like before, during and after the war and genocide. Also of interest are the experiences of coming to and living in the United States. Younger Bosnian Americans, who may remember little about the war, are encouraged to speak about their perceptions of their cultural and political identities.
The Center for Bosnian Studies is interested in collecting relevant photographs, letters, and documents, preferably by scanning them and returning the originals to their owners. These materials will become part of a digital database available to students, faculty and researchers.
No. Funding is not available for such a payment. In addition, interviews are considered by researchers to be more valid if the speaker is not paid. No interviews, photographs, or documents will ever be used for commercial purposes.