Citizens of an Empty Nation Youth and State-Making in Postwar Bosnia-Herzegovina

"An intimate and compellingly written ethnography of the lives of youth in postconflict Bosnia-Herzegovina, illuminating the depth and complexity of state politics as manifested and refracted in youths' lives." (Kimberley Coles, author of Democratic Designs: International Intervention and Electoral Practice in Postwar Bosnia-Herzegovina) "International politicians sound great when they talk about 'multiculturalism' and 'integration,' but Azra Hromadzic takes them to school-specifically, to the Mostar Gymnasium, where the tensions, temptations, and limitations of an ethnically divided state are felt, around the tables, in the hallways, in the shared bathroom. This book combines critical insight and humane sensitivity in equal measures. It is a model for how postconflict ethnography should be performed." (Eric Gordy, author of Guilt, Responsibility, and Denial: The Past at Stake in Post-Milosevic Serbia) "In this rich, reflexive, and carefully crafted ethnography of youth in a Bosnian high school existing in the space between between reunification and segregation, Azra Hromadzic captures the lived realities of her subjects' everyday lives in the context of ethnicized nationalisms and international peace-building. The book is a passionate plea to look beyond the certainties of fixed categories and explore the possibilities of restoring, however fleetingly, a discourse and practice of hope for a better future." (Paul Stubbs, The Institute of Economics, Zagreb)