A purposeful academic-military collaboration unveiling Bosnia Herzegovina

We are elevated and proud to introduce the assignment we are working for. Since the start of this block a multidisciplinary team of students of The University of Groningen are working on behalf of the Royal Netherlands Army for the Cultural-historical Backgrounds and Information section.

(CAI is responsible for instructing military personnel about the cultural-historical and cultural-social backgrounds of deployment areas where the Dutch armed forces participate). In this assignment the students will be doing a background research for the European Union Force (EUFOR Althea) mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We will be investigating how the culture and identity of the various ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina differ and expressed in everyday life. The study is going to provide insights into the sentiments of the local population and the various ethnic groups, shedding light on their views regarding EUFOR and the Dutch military presence.

We are excited to work on a study that will be used by the Dutch military personnel who will be deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby hoping to contribute to the goal of bringing peace and security to the region.

Meet the team:

• John Le, Communication & Information studies, with an interest in understanding intercultural communication. I believe that true communication goes beyond words, encompassing nuances of culture, traditions, and experiences.
• Bram: Studies History, enjoys researching historical and cultural topics, and is interested in professional writing.
• Ema: studies communication and information studies, interested in persuasive communication, intercultural communication and corporate and marketing communication
• Koen: Studies International Relations and International Organisation and is interested in analysing and investigating national and international politcs.
• Elena: as a student of International Relations, I am passionate about international politics, as well as what centers around policy and governance. I like learning new languages and, as of recent, I got into debating and its insights