Recollecting Our Past: St. Louis Bosnians a Generation after the War

Project Overview

This is the start, and the base of, what I would use if I were to teach a unit on the Bosnian War in my high school history classroom. I am a history education major, which is why I chose to make these for my project and really enjoyed making them. I had never learned extensively about Bosnia at all, let alone about the war and turmoil in the 1990s. As a teacher, I think it’s really important to learn about the sometimes ugly and far too often ignored parts of history because they can teach us so much. The things I learned this semester studying the war and preparing this project were harrowing; people running from their homes to avoid being killed, playing dead amongst others to avoid their enemies, and masses of people all living together seeking refuge. My hope for this project is that it can inspire a current or future teacher to educate others on the deeply ignored and tragic history of the country of Bosnia and its people because it is so important. So many times over this semester I was in disbelief at the truly horrifying events that unfolded in 1990s Bosnia and immediately drew parallels to the Holocaust; only to then realize that this was nearly 50 years after, and we are still not far removed from the time that it took place in. I hope my project can inspire all to learn and teach others of the plight of the Bosnian people, and that we can grow to be more compassionate and intelligent individuals as a result. The savior of our race will be the ability to come together through empathy, and we achieve it by educating ourselves even when it might be ugly.

Cam is an Education major at Fontbonne University.