Durham E-Theses Democratization, civil society and NGOs:: the case of Br£ko district, Bosnia-Herzegovina Jerey, Alexander Sam How to cite: Jerey, Alexander Sam (2004) Democratization, civil society and NGOs:: the case of Br£ko district, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3103/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 ABSTRACT Democratization, Civil Society and NGOs: the case of Brcko District, BosniaaHerzegovina Alexander Sam Jeffrey, December 2004 This thesis explores the impact of the process of democratization on the development of civil society organisations in Brcko District, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This study aims to advance existing debates concerning democratization within contemporary political geography by reflecting on the plural and conflicting nature of civil society organisations. In the shadow of the fall of Communism across east and central Europe, analysts have focussed on the role of civil society in legitimising democratic transitions. This has led to the notion of 'civil society building' entering the 'tool kit' of intergovernmental organisations and multilateral donors, as the term has become part of a global discourse of development and democratization. Increasingly, the constitution of civil society has been questioned, as the globalisation of development discourse has coincided with a narrowing of the term to focus almost exclusively on non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This thesis critically examines these processes within Brcko District, an area of north-east Bosnia and Herzegovina that suffered brutal ethnic cleansing during the conflict of the 1990s. As a result of its strategic significance to all warring parties it did not comprise part of the Dayton Peace Agreement. Instead, it was decided to establish the area as a 'special district', with a unique commitment to multiethnic institutions such as schools, judiciary and the police. This decision led to a significant increase in international funding, coupled with the escalation of the executive and legislative powers of the internationally-led Office of the High Representative (OHR). This thesis assesses the influence of this supervision and intervention on the ability ofNGOs to set the agenda and represent the concerns of the local citizenry. As such, it forms part of a wider effort to provide ethnographic perspectives on the relationship between civil society and democratization. Democratization, Civil Society and NGOs: the case of Brcko Distr~ct, Bosnia=Herzegovina One Volume Alexander Sam Jeffrey Ph .D. A copyrfigM of tlhtis Unesns rests witlh the author. No quotation from it shoanUd be nnnlbDisii:D.ed WntlliOant Huns ]!)rROlt' Wlt'nUellD COillSernt arndl nnformatiollll dlernved from it shoaddl be acknowDedged. University of Durham Department of Geography 2004 2 1 JUN 2005 Contents Abstract........................................................................................................................... .i Contents .......................................................................................................................... .zu List ofFigures ................................................................................................................. vi List ofMaps ..................................................................................................................... viii Declaration and Statement ofCopyright...................................................................... .ix Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................... x List ofAbbreviations ....................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION: RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND THESIS OVERVIEW................................. ) 1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................... 1.2 Thesis Aims and Research Questions ................................................ 6 1.3 Thesis Overview.................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2 APPROACHES: RESEARCHING AND REPRESENTING BRCKO DISTRICT .......................... 10 2.1 lntroduction........................................................................................... lO 2.2 Research Position ................................................................................. 12 2.3 EthnographY, ......................................................................................... 16 2. 3.1 Structured Methodologies ......................................................... l7 2.3.2 Observation ................................................................................ 2l 2.4 Translation ............................................................................................ 24 2. 4.1 Linguistics.................................................................................. 24 2.4.2 Dissemination ........................................................................... .3l 2.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 34 111 Chapter 3 PRODUCING BOSNIA: HISTORY, YUGOSLAVIA AND WAR ............................................ .36 3.1 Introduction........................................................................................... 36 3.2 Writing IHinstory,,,, ................................................................................ ,38 3.3 Early IHiistories ...................................................................................... 44 3.4 Tito's Yugoslavia .................................................................................. 51 3.5 The Fall of Yugoslavia ......................................................................... 65 3.6 War in Bosnia ...................................................................................... 70 3.7 Conclusion ........................................................................................... ,84 Chapter 4 IMPROVISING THE STATE: THE CONSECRATION OF BRCXO DISTRICT......................... 86 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................... ,86 4.2 The Arbitration Process ..................................................................... ,88 4.2.1 The Return ofRefugees ............................................................. 90 4.2.2 Presidential and Municipal Elections ...................................... 97 4.2.3 The Final Award........................................................................ IOS 4.3 The Political Landscape ..................................................................... ,l09 4.4 The Economic Landscape ................................................................. ) 14 4.5 The Symbolic Landscape, ................................................................... 124 4.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 133 Chapter 5 .LOCAL GEOPOLITICS: THE EMERGENCE OFNGOS IN BRCKO DISTRICT..................... l36 5.1 Introduction........................................................................................... 136 5.2 The Role ofNGOs in the Bosnian 'Humanitarian Emergency' .. )38 5.2.1 Geopolitical Framing................................................................ 138 5.2.2 NGOs as Agents ofDevelopment ........................................... .142 lV 5.2.3 The Need for PartnershiP. ......................................................... 146 5.3 From 'Emergency' to 'Transition' .................................................. ..149 5.3.1 Transitions ofDemocracy ........................................................ 153 5.3.2 The Importance of Civil SocietY .............................................. .156 5.4 The Organisation in Brcko District: the NGO Survey.................. .162 5.4.1 NGOs Registered 1992-1998.................................................... 165 5.4.2 NGOs Registered 1999-2003................................................... .173 5.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 182 Chapter 6 GENTRIFYING CIVIL SOCIETY: THE DUAL PARADOX OF NGOS IN BRCKO DISTRICT)84 6.1 Introduction........................................................................................... 184 6.2 Gentrification as Capital Accumulation......................................... ) 86 6.3 Donor Demands .................................................................................... 189 6.3.1 Social Capital and NGO Autonomisation................................ 194 6.3.2 Cultural Capital and NGO Homogenisation .......................... .204 6.5 The State and NGO Regulation.........................................................