Social Studies / Socijalne studije, ISSN 2637-2908 on-line
Časopis Socijalne studije je naučni časopis koji objavljuje pregledne i originalne istraživačke radove, prikaze knjiga i naučnih i stručnih skupova iz oblasti društvenih nauka koji nisu prethodno objavljivani. Izuzetno, u časopisu mogu biti objavljeni i stručni radovi koji imaju veliki društveni značaj. Radovi se objavljuju na bosanskom, hrvatskom, srpskom ili engleskom jeziku. Radovi na B/H/S jeziku moraju imati sažetak na engleskom jeziku, a radovi na engleskom jeziku moraju imati sažetak na B/H/S jeziku. Časopis izlazi jednom godišnje u štampanoj i elektronskoj formi.
University of Sarajevo - Faculty of Political Sciences
The Butterfly Effect of Brexit: The Impact on Media and Politics a Decade Later
The media, through spectacle, shape not only our everyday habits but also our political decisions. This paper focuses on images as the primary tool through which spectacle is manifested in the media sphere. In the modern age, the manipulative power of images has been further strengthened by appearance of artificial intelligence. From this perspective, artificial intelligence is viewed as a tool used in conducting pre-election campaigns. This paper examines the consequences of the referendum on the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, commonly known as Brexit. The 2016 referendum provides clear guidelines and mechanisms for the spectacularization of political events. Brexit is primarily understood as a social phenomenon rather than solely a historical-political event. The paper analyzes the relationship between media and politics, paying particular attention to the growing influence of social media. At the time of writing, a decade has passed since the referendum. However, Brexit remains significant because of the relationship that existed between the media and political actors at the time. By laying the foundations for the modern spectacularization of political decision-making, the referendum created a momentum that continues to shape the ways in which media and social media influence the political choices of the public.
Copyright (c) 2025 Social Studies / Socijalne studije, ISSN 2637-2908 on-line https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Data Grab - The New Colonialism of Big Tech and How to Fight Back
Book Review: Ulises A. Meijas & Nick Couldry, Data Grab - The New Colonialism of Big Tech and How to Fight Back (e-book: The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2024, 303 pages)
Affirmation of Social Work in Mental Health Centers: A Key Component of Community Mental Health Promotion
Social work in the field of healthcare in Bosnia and Herzegovina has significant potential to develop into a strong pillar of the healthcare system. However, within the current socio-institutional context, its role as a key component in safeguarding the health and social well-being of individuals and the community remains insufficiently recognized and inadequately supported at the system level. This paper examines the need for the systematic promotion and affirmation of social work within mental health centers, with particular emphasis on the role of the media, professional identity, and the credibility of social workers. It also analyzes the perception, professional status, and public visibility of social workers employed in CMZ in the context of mental health care. By presenting findings from an unpublished study conducted in 2017, the paper elaborates social workers’ views on institutional visibility, media representation, and the need for professional affirmation. Qualitative research from 2024 focuses on the challenges social workers face in everyday practice, as well as realistic opportunities to enhance their work within CMZ. Drawing on research carried out in 2025, the paper further analyzes citizens’ views on the availability of professional assistance, trust in the mental health system, and media influence on attitudes toward mental health issues. In this context, the paper highlights the need for a strategic approach to promoting both social work and mental health, destigmatizing psychosocial problems, and strengthening intersectoral cooperation. Through a comparative analysis of data across three time points, it contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the development of social work in healthcare and offers concrete recommendations for improving professional social work practice in this sector.
Copyright (c) 2025 Social Studies / Socijalne studije, ISSN 2637-2908 on-line
Politics of Memory in the SFRY: A Case Study of the Valley of Heroes
The subject of this research is the state’s performative practices of remembrance in the Valley of Heroes, examined in the context of the significance of the Second World War for the consolidation of the collective social identity in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). More specifically, the research focuses on the commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the Battle of Sutjeska in 1958, a moment when the battle gained new importance and came to symbolize victory, willingness to sacrifice, and the Yugoslav character of the Partisan units. In addition to this anniversary, attention is also given to the 30th anniversary of the battle, marked in 1973, when the memorial complex at Tjentište was completed. The accompanying commemorative program introduced new strategies oriented toward the future and younger generations, who, in the decades following the war, matured within a different social context and developed their own communicative codes. Broadly speaking, the research encompasses an analysis of the actors who shaped and formed narratives about the Second World War, their practices of preserving memories of the war and the fallen, as well as the construction of spaces of remembrance. By analyzing the aforementioned content through qualitative methods, including a case study approach, discourse analysis, and diachronic comparative analysis, this paper aims to demonstrate how changes in the country’s social relations were reflected in the politics of memory and commemorative practices in the Valley of Heroes, as one of the most significant sites of remembrance for the transmission of desirable values within the then-Yugoslav society.
Copyright (c) 2025 Social Studies / Socijalne studije, ISSN 2637-2908 on-line https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Beyond the Worker: Social Welfare Exclusion of Labour Migrant Families in Bosnia and Herzegovina
This paper explores how Bosnia and Herzegovina’s fragmented welfare system responds to the needs of transnational labour migrant families, a problem of growing significance as the country transitions from an emigration context to a destination for low-wage foreign workers. Gaps in access to healthcare, education, and family services generate social inequalities that risk long-term exclusion. The objective of the study is to identify the administrative, legal, and political barriers migrant families face and to provide recommendations for improving institutional responses. Methodologically, the paper relies on narrative policy analysis and legal-institutional review, with a theoretical grounding in transnational social protection, governance studies, and intersectionality. The sample consists of relevant legislation, strategic policy documents, and public discourse, complemented by regional comparisons with Croatia and Serbia. The findings demonstrate that access to social rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains tightly linked to employment contracts and residency permits, leaving many families without adequate protection. Moreover, public and political narratives often racialise migrants or reduce them to purely economic actors, overlooking their broader social vulnerabilities. The paper concludes that Bosnia and Herzegovina must develop a centralised, rights-based welfare framework to address the structural exclusion of transnational families. Recommendations include strengthening institutional coordination, depoliticising migration in public debate, and adapting social services to the needs of migrant workers and their children.
Semiotics, Communication Studies, and Contemporary Media
Book Review: Jelena Kleut i Ana Milojević, Horizonti značenja: semiotički sistemi i medijske prakse (Filozofski fakultet Novi Sad, Novi Sad, 2025, 193 pages)
Artificial Intelligence in Education – Revolution or Risk?
Recent surge in the popularity of large language models has shifted discussions toward the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the future of education. AI is transforming the learning and teaching paradigm, making it crucial to understand both the positive and negative effects of this technology on educational systems. Research on the role of AI education encompasses various topics, including analyses of AI systems applied in education, recommendations for implementing this technology into educational processes, and ethical challenges. However, significantly fewer studies address the legal aspects of AI in education. The legal dimension of AI has gained importance as more countries begin to regulate this technology. Therefore, this paper aims to analyse the current applications of AI through the General Data Protection Regulation and EU AI Act the first comprehensive regulatory framework for this technology, contributing to the understanding of legal aspects of implementing AI systems in education. This paper focuses on AI systems in education classified as unacceptable risk under the EU AI Act, such as emotion and facial recognition systems in educational contexts and high-risk systems, including automated grading, AI-driven exam monitoring, and student selection processes. Additionally, the paper explores use of AI systems not specifically designed for classroom application, potential biases of AI systems, their impact on the right to education, and challenges of personal data protection in personalized learning. Furthermore, this paper provides insights into the potential negative and risky aspects of applying AI in education. Ultimately, we highlight both, positive and negative effects of implementing AI in education and underscore the importance of legal frameworks to prevent the misuse of this technology.
Potraga za matematičkim modelima idealne buržoaske demokracije
Book Review: Ismar Volić, Making Democracy Count: How Mathematics Improves Voting, Electoral Maps, and Representation (Princeton University Press, 2024, 408 pages)
Copyright (c) 2024 Social Studies / Socijalne studije, ISSN 2637-2908 on-line https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Perspectives of Preventive Programs in the Social Care System of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Prevention is defined differently depending on the scientific and professional context. In essence, prevention empowers individuals, groups and systems to solve problems and difficulties, promotes the protection of human rights, encourages the choice of healthy lifestyles and prosocial behavior, prevents unacceptable social behaviors and/or reduces their intensity. This paper aims to analyze the existing capacities for prevention in the social legislation of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with special emphasis on areas for the improvement of preventive interventions (and programs). The analysis of the social legislation of the FB&H indicated capacities for the application of preventive interventions and programs aimed at children and families, the application of the restorative justice model, the prevention of domestic violence, the development of foster care, and mode to prevent high-conflict divorces, as well. The same analysis showed that the terms “prevention”, “deterrence” and “suppression” are rarely used in local legislation, and there are no instructions for the implementation of (preventive) activities; moreover, there are no regulations for the implementation of preventive interventions, while possible preventive activities represent measures and procedures from jurisdiction. In the analysis of local and foreign literature, there are strong points for the implementation of preventive interventions (and programs) through services for preventive work and/or the application of an integrated approach to prevention through specialized family centers in order to improve preventive efficiency in the social welfare system as well as the community, which represents a significant step towards providing preventive services, increasing social inclusion and improving the quality of life of their users.
social legislation FB&H, prevention, user’s interest
Social Work from the Perspective of the Public in Sarajevo Canton
Social work is a relatively young profession that arose from the idea of humanism with the goal of increasing social equality and fostering better social development. However, in its desire to create positive changes and assert itself in society, even today, the profession of social work is not equally developed in all parts of world. Numerous factors influence the development of a profession and this is also the starting point of how a society perceives a certain profession. The aim of this research is to discover various factors that influence social perception and opinion about the profession of social work. Respondents in this research were social workers employed in the Cantonal Center for Social Work, and the citizens of the Sarajevo Canton, regardless of whether they used the services of centers for social work or not. The sample included 49 social workers and 161 citizens of the Sarajevo Canton who contributed to the research.
social work, public, affirmation of the profession
Media Representation of Religious Content: Implications for the Shaping of Public Opinion on Religious Identity in the Western Balkans
Amid escalating tensions following Montenegro’s Law on Religious Freedom in December 2019, this study examines the media’s role in presenting religious content and its potential influence on shaping religious identity in the Western Balkans. Specifically, we analyze how a sample of 45 articles from June 2019 to December 2020 – spanning American, international, Montenegrin, and Serbian sources – presented the law’s impact. Our research question centers on understanding the media’s influence in raising public awareness and potentially constructing distorted perceptions of religious identity, often amplified by biased reporting. This study highlights the need for responsible journalism, media literacy, and unbiased reporting, advocating for a balanced approach among media, religious institutions, and citizens in the digital age.
Religious identity; Traditional media; Online/ digital platforms; Foreign/ Montenegrin/ Serbian press; Law on Religious Freedom
The main goal of this study is to reconsider violence in Western Balkan countries (WBC) compared to global and European averages, questioning negative stereotypes about the Balkan peoples. By examining recent homicide rate data, a widely accepted indicator, the paper positions violence rates in WBC relative to these benchmarks. Additionally, it investigates socioeconomic and cultural factors contributing to variations in homicide rates, analysing elements such as poverty, social inequality, unemployment, and the Global Peace Index. The present study also addresses other forms of violence, including femicide and organized crime rates. Furthermore, it explores the cultural context, particularly the declining influence of the traditional culture of honour historically associated with blood feuds in the pastoral regions of the WBC. This comprehensive approach aims to foster a nuanced understanding of the relationship between sociocultural factors and regional violence.
Informationalism – Creating a Monopoly by Denying Distributive Justice
The paper deals with the creating of the so-called monopoly of digital giants through tax avoidance, which in liberal societies present one of the fundamental forms of distributive justice and one of the foundations of fair “government”. Using the examples of companies such as Amazon, Google, Meta and others, the work shows the ways of creating advantages compared to other companies and the models that ensure monopoly, but also the ways in which the European Union fights this problem. The paper analyzes network services within the so-called platform capitalism, where communication takes place in the network sphere, which is largely determined by profit and profit orientation. An insight into the understanding of digital communication is provided with an insight into the legislation that defines that communication. The political economy of digital monopolies is key to the commodification of data and affects the character of digital communication.
The Role of Moral Disengagement in Green Buying Behavior
Individual consumption has always been characterized by moral responsibility, a certain socially based form of desirable behavioral, although such a form of behavior has been present in society in different forms and intensities over time. Nowadays, socially desirable shopping behavior is associated with the growing problem of environmental pollution, which has given birth to a new form of shopping behavior, known as ‘green shopping’. Nevertheless, this new form of behavior is not widely distributed even though the issue of environmental protection is one of the burning social issues. Consumers, although aware of the need for green shopping, still do not accept it with the intensity that would be desirable. In order to gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, the Theory of Moral Exclusion (TME) is used as the basis for this paper, which indicated the process through which individual consumers morally justify themselves for purchases that harm the environment. Moral exclusion is the process by which an individual convinces himself or herself that ethical standards do not apply to him or her in a particular situation or context. Therefore, the different ways in which consumers engage or disengage from green shopping, as well as their perceived and actual motivations, are the subject of this paper. Qualitative research based on semi-structured in-depth interviews was conducted, which aimed to identify and explain the reasons for consumers’ moral disengagement in green shopping. Moral, emotional and behavioral barriers to green shopping have been identified.
moralno isključivanje, zeleni marketing, kupovno ponašanje
Dekolonijalna reaproprijacija feminizma: Feminizam u borbi protiv rasnog kapitalizma, imperijalizma i eurocentrizma
Book review: Françoise Vergès, "Dekolonijalni feminizam" (TPO Fondacija, Sarajevo, 2019, str. 114)
Copyright (c) 2023 Social Studies / Socijalne studije, ISSN 2637-2908 on-line https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Drowning the Truth in the Sea of Lies: Unveiling the Infodemic and Modern Censorship in the Post-truth Era
Book review: Joel Simon and Robert Mahoney, "The Infodemic: How Censorship and Lies Made the World Sicker and Less Free" (e-book: Columbia Global Reports, New York, 2022, 192 pages)
Family leisure time is an integral part of family everyday life. A significant proportion of what family members do together is leisure time. Throughout the literature, it is emphasized that the way in which families spend their leisure time together greatly affects intra-family relations and dynamics, that is, family functioning. It is not disputed that leisure brings multiple benefits to families. The aim of this paper is to examine patterns and detect challenges and perspectives of family leisure time. By questioning the attitudes of students (N=107), the results were obtained that show that family free time is most often spent in socializing and going out, playing, and relaxing activities. Students think that leisure activities are a significant predictor of personal growth and, in this connection, improvement of the quality of (family) life. On the other hand, it is clear that the biggest challenges are of a motivational and organizational nature. Based on the findings, guidelines for building an inclusive culture of family leisure time will be specified, all in order to improve the educational effects of leisure activities.
family leisure time, well-being, patterns, challenges, perspectives
Cooperation of Social Protection and Civil Protection Services on Disaster Risk Reduction in Canton Sarajevo
Social protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not the responsibility of the state but of entities, districts, cantons, municipalities and Brčko District of BiH. Additional complication in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina takes place at the level of ten cantons, so that in this entity alone there are 11 almost separate social protection systems with a low degree of cooperation and coordination. This prevents unique access to the resources and possibilities of the social protection system, so that the differences in the realization of the social rights of citizens are evident. Civil protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina is also not organized at the state level, but at the level of entities, districts, cantons and municipalities. The specificity of civil protection activities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is reflected in the fact that, in addition to the management structure, there is also a leadership structure for the implementation of protection and rescue measures and activities. The management structure is presented through civil protection administrations at the entity and canton level and civil protection services at the municipal level; and the leadership structure that works to implement the decisions of the management structure is represented through the civil protection headquarters at the entity, canton and municipal levels. Given that the social protection and civil protection services work with vulnerable categories of the population by nature of their regular activities, much greater cooperation is necessary at all levels, especially in Sarajevo Canton, which is economically the strongest, in order to provide assistance and reduce the risk of disasters.
social protection, civil protection, cooperation, disasters
Uticaj socio-ekonomskih prilika porodice na obrazovna postignuća djece s teškoćama u razvoju
In the paper, the influence of socioeconomic family circumstances on the educational achievements of children with developmental disabilities is indicated through a theoretical and empirical analysis. In this regard, in the theoretical elaboration, the influence of the family climate on the educational achievements of children, especially those with disabilities, and on the functions of the family (developmental, reproductive, educational, function of social position, economic and function of providing protection) was pointed out. In addition, the theoretical analysis method was used to analyse the specifics of the education of children with developmental disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the family circumstances they live in. A special focus in the work is placed on the results of the empirical research, which included a total of 96 parents from Sarajevo Canton. The results of the research show that the socioeconomic conditions have a significant impact on the educational achievements of children with developmental disabilities, that is, children with disabilities who live in better circumstances and whose parents have a higher level of education have greater prerequisites for achieving better success in school. Through the analysis, it was also realized that these families are burdened with additional costs for a child with developmental disabilities, which is the reason for involving important social actors in providing all types of support that can contribute to better socio-economic opportunities, all with the aim of improving their school performance. The empirical analysis is based on the views of parents of children with developmental disabilities, and the presented results confirm that socio- economic conditions are causally related to the success of their children, which was the general hypothesis in the research.
Family, child with developmental disabilities, education, achievement, socio-economic conditions
Political Exploitation of the Symbol of Suffering in the Past Bosnia and Herzegovina War
Reminder of the victims, innocent casualties of the past Bosnian- Herzegovinian war, crimes, and atrocities during that period, are a daily occurrence in the media space of post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina. The level of mutual disregard is illustratively evidenced by the ways in which the role of the opposing side in the tragic events is presented, often implying a threat from the other side and ill intentions. In this paper, among other things, the aim is to determine the level and nature of media representation of symbols of suffering in the past war on certain news portals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and, indirectly, to indicate the nature of the analyzed content. The content of articles dedicated to this topic attempts to present the character of representing tragic events and answer the assumption that it involves the exploitation of tragic events from the war past to justify ethnonationalistic policies of isolationism, whether justified or unjustified. The escalation of ethnonationalistic hatred, fueled by continuous emphasis on the ethnicity’s vulnerability, spreads and sustains an atmosphere of fear, mistrust, and insecurity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The thanatopolitics of the post-Dayton ethnonationalistic political corpus largely denies the right of others to be a victim and, in that sense, is identical for all political options that declare, in nominal and functional terms, themselves national. Using inductive and deductive methods, critical methods focused on contextual understanding, qualitative and quantitative content analysis, this study aims to diagnose the way thanatological content is presented and suggest its role in the political system of post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina.
ethnonationalism, war crimes, memory, suffering, isolationism, media
Book review: Martin Previšić, Povijest Golog otoka (Fraktura, Zagreb, 2019, 634 str.)
Copyright (c) 2022 Social Studies / Socijalne studije, ISSN 2637-2908 on-line https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Katarina Peović, Sve što je čvrsto i postojano se pretvara u dim... historijski materijalizam kao metoda, kritika i analiza
Book review: Katarina Peović, Sve što je čvrsto i postojano se pretvara u dim... historijski materijalizam kao metoda, kritika i analiza (Durieux, Zagreb, 2021, 168 str.)
Feminist Ethics Perspective on Cases of Refused Abortion for Izabela Sajbor in Poland and Mirela Čavajda in Croatia
The article compares two cases of refused abortion, that of Izabela Šajdor from Poland and that of MirelaČavajdafrom Croatia, from a feminist ethics perspective. Based on the theory of feminist ethics and the writings of feminist theoreticians like Simone de Beauvoir, Evelyn Reed, and Susan Sherwin, as well as media reporting on the two cases, the author argues that structural oppression causes complete neglect for the perspective of women in applied ethics for these two cases of abortion, and that can be based neither in false myths of biologically inherited differences between men or women, nor the ethics of pro-life arguments, as it neglects the life of the mother. The two extreme cases reflect circumstances in which the society, and at least in Poland legally supported by governing bodies, impose an abortion ban. The consequence of such a ban is that abortion is not treated as a medical procedure but as a means of oppressing women, as evident from the treatment of Izabela Šajdor and Mirela Čavajda. The article opens the question of the ethical treatment of women in cases of abortion bans. Debates on the ethics of abortion commonly focus on the life of the fetus itself and not that of the mother. Women, in this context, become objects of broader debate and collective decision-making of society and its dominant values. As an outcome, women lose access to healthcare and bodily autonomy. A feminist ethics and feminist contractarian perspective is necessary to argue in favor of practices and approaches that bridge the gap in circumstances where women’s safety and individual decision-making is dependent on popular values.
Copyright (c) 2022 Social Studies / Socijalne studije, ISSN 2637-2908 on-line
Analysis of Existing Employment Models of People With Mental Disabilities in BiH
The employment of persons with mental disabilities is a very demanding area of social policy since the realization of the universal right to work is burdened with many challenges. In the first place, these are real problems of adapting persons with mental disabilities to work processes, which arise from limited possibilities of using individual competencies. On the other hand, community stereotypes and prejudices further complicate the inclusion of people with mental disabilities in work processes. Difficulties arise from the practice of not applying existing legal solutions, as well as from the constant lack of institutional capacities that should provide systemic support for the employment of these people. Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a signatory to international documents in this field, established a formal legal framework for employment of people with mental disabilities, which is based on the practice of employment of people with disabilities. Entity laws and funds for professional rehabilitation and employment of people with disabilities form the basis of this framework. The analysis of the employment of people with mental disabilities shows that in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in addition to institutional models, there are noninstitutional innovative solutions created by the active participation of user associations.
Motives and Implications of the United States v. China Trade War
Sino-US trade war is a very significant problem that both countries, and therefore the world, have been facing for five years. This conflict is an extremely important topic for International Relations, and thus for social science because it can lead to the establishment of a new world order in which China becomes the dominant state that rules the world according to its worldviews. The aim of this article is to inform the readers about the importance of the Sino-US conflict, with a special emphasis on the fact that this conflict is not only of an economic nature, i.e. it is not based only on the deficit that the United States has when it comes to goods/money exchange with China (although this is an important dimension), it also has an ideological and political dimension, which is probably far more significant. Using the method of empirical, critical analysis of available information from relevant sources, this paper analyzes some of the key reasons why the economic conflict itself started when Trump was at the head of the US. Furthermore, this paper offers some of the possible outcomes of the conflict between the US and China itself, offering a critical consideration of how likely each outcome is, and after analyzing direct armed conflict and reconciliation as possible outcomes, settles on a Cold War between the US and China as the most likely scenario which may follow from the tensions between the two states. In addition, the paper shows which country is winning in the conflict. The paper is a good starting point to initially introduce readers to the problem of economic conflict between the US and China, however, a basic understanding of the problem before reading this paper is recommended in order to understand the paper to its full capacity.
The research for this paper was motivated by the inadequacy of the EU reforms implemented in the educational systems of B&H, Croatia and Serbia, that is, the problem of the continuous formal and never structural educational reforms in these countries. This paper gives a post-colonial perspective on the educational policies of the Balkan countries, with a special focus on their ways of instrumentalizing education, the relationship and ways of breaking with the socialist education system, and ways of adapting to EU standards. The aim of this paper is to outline the mechanism of latent colonialism, i.e. Europeanization, through the analysis of educational policies in the Balkans, which points to the eternal otherness, almost obscenity of the Balkans, and to point out the responsibility and potential for the engagement of educators in B&H, Serbia and Croatia in the educational process.