English language and literature in the post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina: Challenges and experiences of a transcultural academic adaptation

Abstract

This paper presents an account of the author's firsthand experiences between 2006 and 2010, relating to his involvement in the establishment of the English Language and Literature department at the International University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and of the difficulties and challenges of the venture in the post-war country, whose higher education system needed urgent reforms. The focus of the study is on the cultural diversity found in an English language (a unifying global language) education setting established in a country which, despite the present estrangement, once hosted a common culture for the Bosnian and Turkish students of the department. Clustered mainly around this issue, the paper further elaborates on the transcultural dynamics of English education aimed at a variety of students that came from different educational backgrounds.