Sources of information on transitional justice in Croatia

This paper investigates perceptions of sources of information on the transitional justice process in Croatia, dealing with the 1991-1995 conflict. This provides an insight into the broader nation-building process in Croatia by analysing where the predominant war narrative is reproduced and contested. It is based on focus group, dyad and interview research conducted in 2014 and 2015 with teachers, members of war veterans’ associations and pensioners. Respondents trusted few sources in an atmosphere of general distrust and pessimism towards institutions. Participants in the conflict and images from television were, on the other hand, highly trusted. This paved the way for everyday narratives to have more of an influence than narratives presented from above by institutions, indicating that individuals and organisations concerned with the historical study of the war in Croatia are perceived to be more reliable if they also appeal to these criteria of participation and imagery, regardless of the academic merit of their investigations.