Dwelling in the Post-War City : Urban Reconstruction and Home-Making in Sarajevo

Abstract

This article explores how the process of urban reconstruction and the act of dwelling in post-war Sarajevo were connected to the reshaping of post-war identities in BiH, as well as to the (re)creation of a sense of place and a sense of belonging for pre-war residents and new residents alike. Interviews with architects, urban planners and residents from a variety of backgrounds were used to understand city-making and home-making processes. In the first part, the article discusses the framework and process of urban reconstruction in the city of Sarajevo and the city of East Sarajevo, analyzing how nation-building and international capital reshape urban space. In the second part, the article explores how pre-war Sarajevans and displaced people in Sarajevo perceive the city as their home and its spatial and social reconfiguration as part of “home-making” – understood as the process of investing spaces with the meaning of home. The article argues that ambivalence and fluidity reshape the dwelling space defined by post-war settlements and international capital flow with distinctive agendas.