Reversing segregation? the property restitution process in post-war Bosnia

Abstract

Following the breakup of former Yugoslavia, the war in Bosnia from 1992 to 1995 resulted in the displacement of large numbers of people in order to create ethnically pure territories. A decade after the Dayton Accords enshrined the right of displaced populations to return to their homes of origin, and most of the property repatriation claims made by the displaced had positive outcomes, it was assumed that property restitution would cause people physically to return home and eventually reverse the effects of wartime policies of ethnic cleansing. It is argued here that although property restitution is important as part of reversing ethnic segregation, the assumption that it will guarantee that the displaced will return to their former home is naive.