thesis drafted

I feel like I've retreated from the world for the past few months as I've wrangled my thesis. These school holidays I have spent at least 3 hours a day working on it, and I am so rapt to report, I have a draft. While I still have a ways to go in terms of submitting, getting my supervisors and peers to read and critique, and then revise based on feedback, a draft is done.

So I'm here to share my exegesis and am going to be sharing some research insights in future. I have so many plans for this research in terms of teaching notes and other ideas for ways to undertake advocacy about the Srebrenica genocide. for now, I'm going to go out with my tiny to the cinema to celebrate.

Drum roll please, my thesis is:

Title: Emotional Truth in the Shadow of History: Analysing the Intersection of Fact and Fiction in Srebrenica Novels by Non-Bosnian Authors

This thesis examines The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan and Braco by Lesleyanne Ryan, exploring how these novels portray the Srebrenica massacre. It argues that Srebrenica's significance lies in its status as the first European genocide conviction since the Holocaust and evaluates how these works document the event. Using a historical novel framework, the study focuses on the paratexts to assess how the authors shape readers' interpretation of the texts and contextualize the massacre's portrayal. Khan's portrayal highlights Bosnia's pluralistic society, the role of ultranationalist propaganda, and the UN's complicity. Ryan's depiction focuses on peacekeepers but lacks depth in understanding Bosnian culture and intermarriage dynamics. Through this analysis, the research underscores the importance of grounding representations of Srebrenica in thorough research to address the complex historical and cultural factors.