Uloga Fikreta, bodybuildera sa osmjehom, na život žene Suade / The Enduring Agency of Fikret the Smiling Bodybuilder in Suada's Journey

Petra Hamer; Petra Hamer

doi:10.48052/19865244.2025.3.209

Authors

Petra Hamer University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Philosophy
Petra Hamer University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Philosophy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48052/19865244.2025.3.209

Keywords:

agency of the dead, Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, war, politicization, continuing bonds, memorialization, monumentalization

Abstract

This text is a translation of the article "The Enduring Agency of Fikret the Smiling Bodybuilder in Suada’s Journey", originally published in English in Anthropological Notebooks, 31(2), 2025.

Translated from English and adapted by: Dr. Petra Hamer (petra.hamer@ff.uni-lj.si)

This article examines the agency of a deceased husband as it continues to affect his former wife’s life. Over thirty years have passed since he became one of the countless victims of violence during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s. Today, his wife keeps a memorial room in their hometown, preserving his memory as the first and most celebrated Bosnian bodybuilder, and ensuring that his legacy endures. These continuing bonds serve as both a mourning process and a celebration of his life. Two forms of agency of the dead are presented in the article: material and spiritual. The material agency is expressed through physical markers of remembrance such as the tombstone, the memorial room, and the commemorative plaque. The spiritual agency manifests in the dreams his wife experiences, which provide her with a sense of connection and guidance. This analysis examines the agency of the dead through the individual act of maintaining bonds with the deceased, while situating the narrative within the broader context of Verdery’s concept of the politicization of dead bodies. This approach highlights how personal mourning intertwines with collective memory and cultural significance.

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