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Bosniaks
Nationhood After Genocide
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A compelling exploration of Bosniak political identity, chronicling the development of a nation and its people in the wake of catastrophe.
For the first time in nearly two centuries, one ethnic group now constitutes an absolute majority of Bosnia and Herzegovina's population: the Bosniaks. It is an unlikely development given that, scarcely thirty years ago, they were targeted for extermination and expulsion by Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic. Even as the Bosniak community fought to survive these atrocities, it simultaneously came under attack from militants led by Croatian president Franjo Tudman, who attempted to partition Bosnia and Herzegovina between Zagreb and Belgrade.
Improbably, the Bosniaks and the Bosnian state survived these campaigns. But the country's fractious sectarian post-war order has produced the world's most convoluted constitutional regime, always teetering on the brink of collapse.
Jasmin Mujanovic illuminates the sources of contemporary Bosniak political identity, tracing the evolution of a religious community into a secular nation, and shedding light on the future of a nation at a crossroads. He explores the idea of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a "national homeland", considers how narratives of genocide influence self-identity, and probes how demographic changes are putting pressure on the country's political framework.
The fate of Bosnia and Herzegovina's peace and democracy rests on the Bosniaks' shoulders – and with it, the stability of all Southeastern Europe.
A compelling exploration of Bosniak political identity, chronicling the development of a nation and its people in the wake of catastrophe.
For the first time in nearly two centuries, one ethnic group now constitutes an absolute majority of Bosnia and Herzegovina's population: the Bosniaks. It is an unlikely development given that, scarcely thirty years ago, they were targeted for extermination and expulsion by Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic. Even as the Bosniak community fought to survive these atrocities, it simultaneously came under attack from militants led by Croatian president Franjo Tudman, who attempted to partition Bosnia and Herzegovina between Zagreb and Belgrade.
Improbably, the Bosniaks and the Bosnian state survived these campaigns. But the country's fractious sectarian post-war order has produced the world's most convoluted constitutional regime, always teetering on the brink of collapse.
Jasmin Mujanovic illuminates the sources of contemporary Bosniak political identity, tracing the evolution of a religious community into a secular nation, and shedding light on the future of a nation at a crossroads. He explores the idea of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a "national homeland", considers how narratives of genocide influence self-identity, and probes how demographic changes are putting pressure on the country's political framework.
The fate of Bosnia and Herzegovina's peace and democracy rests on the Bosniaks' shoulders – and with it, the stability of all Southeastern Europe.
About the author
Jasmin Mujanovic is a political scientist whose work focuses on southeast European and international affairs, with a broader interest in the politics of post-conflict and post-authoritarian democratisation. He works as a researcher and consultant for a variety of international NGOs, government development agencies, and monitoring organisations. Originally from Sarajevo, he currently lives in New York.