Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.32728/h2025.05
A Night to Remember – Šajini and Bokordići, 9 January 1944
Marin Pekica
Iva Kolić
Sažetak
The lack of sources and contradictory theories about what truly happened on the night of 8–9 January 1944 in the Istrian villages of Šajini and Bokordići still intrigues the surviving residents and their descendants. The available sources and literature are limited to a small number of books, journals, and newspaper articles that only briefly describe or merely mention the events. The most important sources are interviews with surviving villagers, although these were conducted with a considerable time gap after the events. It is generally known that the burning of the villages was retaliation for partisan actions, but doubts remain regarding a specific motive behind the attack. In the collective memory of the inhabitants, these events remain the greatest tragedy ever to befall the communities of Šajini and Bokordići. Coming to terms with such a tragedy has been further complicated by the fact that no one has ever been officially held accountable for these crimes. Further research has been hindered by poverty and the residents’ deeply rooted fear. On the other hand, the memory of the event is still alive among some individuals even today, more than eighty years later. In addition, a smaller group of surviving residents still harbours resentment against the perpetrators and the nation to which they belonged. This may be linked to a long and unsuccessful process of confronting the past. Others, however, have dealt with the past more successfully, as reflected in the poetic and artistic works of surviving residents of Šajini and their descendants.
Ključne riječi
World War II; cultural memory; facing the past; burning of villages; Šajini; Bokordići
Hrčak ID:
349942
URI
Datum izdavanja:
29.7.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *