Abstract
The aim of this article is to analyze verbally portrayed experiences of 27 survivors of the 1990’s war in northwestern Bosnia.
The focus lies on evaluating interviewees’ description of wartime sexual violence and analyzing discursive patterns
that contribute in constructing the phenomenon “sexualized war violence”. My analysis shows that the new social war order
normalized the sexualized war violence in society. In many cases, these crimes are committed by neighbors and people known
by the victim. After the war, all interviewees described war sexual violence as something morally reprehensible. These
narratives paint a picture of the perpetrator as someone who is dangerous, evil and the absolute enemy. This enemy is a real but
distant criminal who is seen as a clear threat to the existing social order from before the war.
The focus lies on evaluating interviewees’ description of wartime sexual violence and analyzing discursive patterns
that contribute in constructing the phenomenon “sexualized war violence”. My analysis shows that the new social war order
normalized the sexualized war violence in society. In many cases, these crimes are committed by neighbors and people known
by the victim. After the war, all interviewees described war sexual violence as something morally reprehensible. These
narratives paint a picture of the perpetrator as someone who is dangerous, evil and the absolute enemy. This enemy is a real but
distant criminal who is seen as a clear threat to the existing social order from before the war.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Femicide. Targeting of Women in Conflict. A Global Issue That Demands Action. Volume III |
| Editors | Filip Andrada Platzer Michael |
| Publisher | The Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) |
| Pages | 102-105 |
| Volume | 3 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-200-03012-1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |
Publication series
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Volume | 3 |
Subject classification (UKÄ)
- Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)
Free keywords
- subjected to sexual violence
- perpetrator of sexual violence
- sexual violence
- war
- narrative
- Bosnia
- sociology
- sociologi
