Sociální studia (Dec 2017)
Divided Brothers: Ex-Double Towns Brod and Slavonski Brod
Abstract
Brod (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Slavonski Brod (Republic of Croatia) towns were positioned in two different federal republics of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRJ) divided by the Sava River as its natural boundary. They essentially represented almost a single, unified city, with a multi-ethnic structure of the population, and high production industrial capacity. The authors of this article use the conceptual model of double towns developed by Buursink, and Dębicki and Tamáska, applying it to the case of the above-mentioned towns. This article analyzes the current status of the towns in terms of the impact of war attrocities on their economic, cultural, urban and demographic resources and mutual cooperation. Emphasis is placed on the permanent damage caused by ethnic separation between these cities as well as the consequences arising from the division of industrial capacities, which determined the further development of these towns, their economic potential and urban sprawl, as well as the quality of life of the population. This research is based on case study methodology, with a focus on secondary data analysis. The results of the research show that the formation of new states and wars in the former SFRJ caused the division of economic and human capital, with severe consequences. The postsocialist transition and badly conducted privatization, together with the new national borders and ethnic separation, caused a division between these towns that resulted in a decrease in their mutual cultural and economic cooperation. However, a more favourable environment for life and development has been noted in Slavonski Brod (Republic of Croatia), which during the pre-war period had more economic and institutional capacity, as well as a larger population. Some of these advantages have become more important with the entry of the Republic of Croatia into the European Union, which turned out to be an additional factor of separation between these former double towns. Within this context, the authors identify patterns related to the revitalization of certain social ties that existed before the division.
