Renaming Streets and Nationalising Public Space: The Case of Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina

A policy of exclusion through street renaming in West Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, has been identified as a strategy to nationalize public space and replace socialist commemorative spaces with Croat national history. The study reveals that this process involves two key steps: de-commemorating the old name and establishing a new one, often leading to disputes among Bosniak, Croat, and Serb communities. While the renaming aims to erase past associations, its acceptance by local citizens is limited, suggesting that the new commemorative space does not fully replace the old one. The research examines the political implications of these changes, highlighting the tension between historical memory and contemporary identity in a post-war context.

Rose-Redwood, R., Alderman, D., & Azaryahu, M. (Eds.). (2017). The Political Life of Urban Streetscapes. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315554464