The Evolution of Religion in Bosnia: How the 2013 Census Thwarts Religious Identities

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2014
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Haverford College. Department of Religion
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Thesis
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eng
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Abstract
Ethnic identities in and after conflict are often viewed as kinship relationships between members because of attitudes and traditions of belief towards biological features and territorial location. Religion often plays a crucial role in ethnic definition, as many of the quarreling nationalist groups are too similar in ethno-linguistic features to be separated by criteria other than religious affiliation. In the conflict in Bosnia, religion played a crucial role in the formation of nationalist identity, with the Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats, and Muslim Bosniaks. These identities were formed during the war and then reinforced by the Dayton Peace Accords. All of a sudden, being Bosniak meant being Muslim; being Croat meant being Catholic; and being Serb meant being Orthodox. It is widely accepted that religion is one of the core aspects of identity in Bosnia. While religion is not the only basis of identity, it has been used jointly with nationalism and ethnicity as a marker of identity and as a way to differentiate between social groups. The role of religion in Bosnian society has become increasingly more apparent in light of the 2013 Bosnian census debate. The mandatory census has become a serious point of contention between the political and religious leaders and everyday Bosnian citizens. The challenges presented by the census explain a shift in the mindset of Bosnians and how they conceive of religion in their society. As religion is used as a marker of difference between ethnic groups, some Bosnians are pushing back against the labels that have been forced upon them for so many years. These Bosnians are fighting for the ability to identify freely on the census, which is a strong move in a country where the state has already predetermined a person's identity to fit into one of the three majority groups that were given power at the end of the war. Because religion plays such a crucial role in the identity of Bosnian people, the campaigns that push back against census express a growing opinion of how religion should be thought of in Bosnia today. This paper examines the evolution of religion from pre-war Bosnia to present day. This transformation is examined through the lens of the most recent census and two case studies of Bosnians, as citizens are beginning to shape and express their own religious and ethnic identity that counters the preexisting labels that structure Bosnian society.
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Emma Geering was a Bryn Mawr College student.
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