Bosnia and Herzegovina: Rethinking the Relationship between Confessional, Ethnic and NationalIdentities (Focus on Bosniaks / Muslims)

Abstract

This paper offers an analysis of the actual relations between religion and politics, that is, ethno-political use of the confessional identities in the contemporary Bosnia and Herzegovina. The special focus is on Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) with their special identity acquired through long historical developments. The most recent social and political processes were dominated by the institutionalisation of ethno-confessional identities. The global trend of revitalised role of religion in public domain has been also felt in Bosnia and Herzegovina, although it was expressed in a special local way, in relation to historical determinants.