ABSTRACT
After a war in which genocide occurs, there is another war - over the dominant postwar narrative. This is a kind of war of words and, just like a real war, often leads to people getting hurt and even losing friends and loved ones. Story, it turns out, is a remarkable motivator, especially when it depends on a victim-hero archetype that inspires a collective sense that honour must be restored to "our people". International actors, it seems, had long ago conceded that Bosnia had several stories, and they were more keen on keeping the peace by legitimizing everyone's story than on encouraging Bosnians to write a new, shared story. In considering what might have worked better in Bosnia, it is instructive to look at a country that has found a way to agree on just one story. The recent elections are proof of the toxicity of instrumentalizing the narratives in the current political climate.
