Authors

Discussion

Rarely is historiography so closely linked to destruction and war as in the case of Yugoslavia. The temptation to identify elements in the past that inevitably led to the disintegration of the multiethnic state is considerable. Consequently, the history of Yugoslavia continues to suffer from teleological interpretations. Moreover, studies examining continuities in the post-Yugoslav space tend to focus disproportionately on the Slovenian-Croatian-Serbian axis.

This contribution examines the use of microcomputers during the siege of Sarajevo. There is broad consensus that media played a crucial role both in the mobilization and dissemination of nationalist and chauvinist ideas before and during the Yugoslav wars. Additionally, media were regarded as the most significant mouthpieces for war actors. However, even in more recent studies, the term “media” is reduced to newspapers, television, and radio. The microcomputer and its use are entirely absent from this media history. Conversely, computer-historical studies addressing the role of microcomputers in Bosnia are equally lacking.

This paper addresses this significant research gap in three ways. First, it brings Bosnia out of its historiographical isolation—both Yugoslav and European—by uncovering interconnections at the micro-historical level. Second, it integrates the computer into media-historical discourses. Third, it makes a vital contribution to the history of computing by not only addressing a peripheral case in computer history but also by exploring a history of computer usage that unfolded in isolation under extreme circumstances.

The first part of the paper outlines the opportunities and limitations of this approach from a methodological perspective. The second part presents AIM (Alternativna Informativna Mreža) as a case study. When telephone and fax connections between Sarajevo and Banja Luka were no longer operational, AIM—originally a bulletin board system based in Paris—enabled journalists to exchange information. This example demonstrates how local and regional processes interact with transregional and global dynamics. The analysis draws on interviews with contemporary witnesses as well as analogue and digital archival sources.

The paper argues that conventional approaches to researching this region must be reconsidered. By adopting a computer-historical micro-perspective on Sarajevo, it challenges entrenched categories such as ethnonational disloyalty, East-West narratives, and the reduction of “media” to a homogeneous category.