(Un)conditional Europeanisation: Memory Politics in Serbia Surrounding the Yugoslav Wars and EU Integration

Talk by Nikola Gajić (Regensburg) in the series "War. Peace. Security".

In his talk, he will explore the Europeanization of memory politics, focusing on Serbia’s contested recognition of the Srebrenica genocide within the EU’s memory framework. As an EU candidate country, Serbia faces significant pressure to align with European norms of transitional justice, which emphasize the acknowledgment of historical atrocities—such as the Srebrenica genocide—as foundational to the EU’s collective identity. However, Serbia’s persistent denial of Srebrenica as genocide reflects the entrenchment of nationalist narratives and the political instrumentalization of memory. Through a critical discussion of transitional justice, civil society efforts, and the role of political elites, this lecture highlights the complexities of using memory as a tool for Europeanization. The central question also addresses the effectiveness of the EU’s conditionality mechanism in securing reconciliation by combating denial and promoting commemorative practices.

Organized by the Leibniz ScienceCampus "Europe and America in the Modern World."