Sevdah of Lost Identity

This contribution investigates the complex interplay between individual trauma and collective historical experience through the lens of the sevdah and sevdalinka music genre. Grounded in the artist’s personal narrative of displacement during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, the project employs performative and musical methodologies to explore the psychological and social aftermath of the conflict. By analyzing and reinterpreting traditional motifs and symbols found in her native cultural heritage within the framework of a western European education and upbringing, the artist seeks to reclaim a fragmented identity. Through embodied practice, the research examines the manifestations of intergenerational trauma, including PTSD and eating disorders. This project contributes to ongoing discourses on the role of art in trauma recovery and the construction of identity in contemporary multicultural societies.