Reinforcement and Transmission of National Identity through Commemoration after the Croatian War

The Republic of Croatia, located in the northwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula, became independent from the multiethnic state of Yugoslavia in 1991. Although more than 20 years have passed since the end of the armed conflict, Croatian officials are promoting a movement to reinforce memories of the war and transmit them to younger generations. The movement is especially popular in the city of Vukovar, once a site of violent clashes, where the ethnic Croatian population organizes various commemorative events and erects new monuments. Analysis of the symbolism of monuments and of the subjects depicted shows differences in attitudes toward the conflict at the local and national levels as well as between the national majority and minority populations. These differences clearly illustrate political double standards when it comes to the issue of national identity in Croatia, which joined the EU in 2013.