1. ETHNIC CONFLICTS RESEARCH QUESTION: How has history, myth, and religion mobilized the rise of the Serbs in the Former Yugoslavia

2. MAPS AND MEDIA

3. THE WHY BEHIND THE RESEARCH To investigate the occurrence of ethnic conflict and ethnic cleansing in the Balkan region. Apply the religious, historical and ethnic differences that fueled the Bosnia-Serbian conflict. Apply the role of social constructs, nationalism and instrumentalism in the conflict. Debunk the myths of the past through an accurate account of history.

4. PAPER OUTLINE Introduction Historical Context Identify the predisposing factors Analyze specific themes within the Serbian Ethnic Conflict Application of theory Conclusion Bibliography

5. THEMATIC POINTS OF INVESTIGATION HISTORY MYTH RELIGION MOBILIZATION DEMOBILIZATION THREAT SYMBOLS GLORY HEROISM VICTIMIZATION BATTLE OF KOSOVO ETHNICIZED TERRITORIES

6. HISTORY, MYTH & RELIGION History Prior to 1919  Battle of Kosovo  Heroism  Victory  Symbols of nationalism Celebration of the Battle of Kosovo and the adaptation of the meaning behind it.  “For Serbs the Battle of Kosovo defines their nationhood, their Christianity against the infidel, and their self-styled role as Europe’s protectors. Dozens of Serbs have asserted to me that the Serbian stand at Kosovo saved Europe from barbarism, a position somewhat difficult to reconcile with the fact that the Turks won the battle and ultimately reached the gates of Vienna. June 28 is a national holiday for Serbs, the only people I know who celebrate defeat.” (Zimmerman, 12)

7. HISTORY, MYTH & RELIGION Serbian belief that they saved Europe from barbarism in the 1389, Battle of Kosovo. Importance of Christianity to the Serbian identity. Serbians identification, obsession, reliving and reification of their past histories. Obsession with the relic of being victimized over the centuries. To Serbians, Kosovo is seen as a sacred ancestral homeland now inhabited largely by Muslims.

8. HISTORY, MYTH & RELIGION Ottoman Empire & Annexation of Austro- Hungarian Empire  Creation of the new states (Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia)  Emergence of Croatian and Serbian Nationalist Movements  Bosnian Nationalist Movements to incorporate Bosnia into a Greater Croatia and a Greater Serbia

9. MOBILIZATION & DEMOBILIZATION Ethnicized Territories  “Political energy was directed more toward gaining a better position in Yugoslavia for one’s ethnic group [rather] than toward preserving the viability of the state. Nobody wanted to be a minority; nobody expected minorities automatically to be protected…Why should I be a minority in your state when you can be a minority in mine?” (Zimmerman, 212) Threats  The perpetuation of Serbian-Christians in the Former Yugoslavia of the threat of being surrounded by a large population of Muslims while.

10. THEORY CONSTRUCTIVISM  Highlights the role of social context.  Identifies the mobilization and silencing of people around issues of culture and identity.  Emphasizes personal lived relationships in ethnic mobilization.  Identifies the primordialist sentiment and the resulting ethnic security dilemma.

11. THEORY PRIMORDIALIST PERSPECTIVE  Outlines the idea that ethnic conflicts are historically rooted, by emphasizing key historical dates of the past such as wars.  Outlines the mythology behind these different themes and its reinforcement by collectivizing the myth, memories and practices of different generations.

12. THEORY PRIMORDIALIST PERSPECTIVE  Highlights solidarity and cohesion as a persuasive tool.  Emphasizes the “uniqueness” of the collective group.  “As Yugoslavia disintegrated in the early 1990’s, nationalist leaders focused on constructing ethnically ‘pure’ states, thereby determining who could be a citizen, i.e. who belonged. The drive for ethnically based states challenged the very essence of Yugoslavia as a multiethnic country.” (Jesse & Williams, 147)

13. THEORY NATIONALISM  Identifies the significance of ethnicized regions, a core ethnic region and the reconstruction of political spaces.  Emphasizes the history of the Battle of Kosovo, as represented through glory and heroism.

14. THEORY INSTRUMENTALISM  Identifies political skills and resources of elites.  Applies political entrepreneurship and the promotion of ethnic, religious and historical differences.  “The Serbian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in Croatia were willing accomplices of the political leaders in coopting their parishioners for racist designs. These two churches were national churches, in effect arms of their respective states, when it came to ethnic matters. They played a disgraceful role by exacerbating racial tensions when they could have urged their faithful toward Christian healing." (Zimmerman)  The role of Tito and Milosevic

15. BIBLIOGRPAHY Berlin, Isaiah. 1955. Against the Current: Essays in the History of Ideas. Edinburgh University Press. Diez Ajenjo, Eva. 2008. Crisis and History as Causes of Former Yugoslavia War. www.globalaffairs.es/en. Accessed April 1, 2013.www.globalaffairs.es/en Gagnon, V.P. 1994. Ethnic Nationalism and International Conflict: The Case of Serbia. International Security. Vol: 19; No: 3. p 130-166. Hamburg, David. 2010. Preventing Genocide. Boulder Paradigm Publisher. Hoffman, Stanley. 2002. Clash of Globalization. Foreign Affairs. Vol: 81; No 4. p 104-115. Kaufman, Stuart. 2001. Modern Hatreds. Cornell University Press.

16. BIBLIOGRPAHY Neal, Jesse & Williams, Kristen. 2011. Ethnic Conflict. CQ Press. Nicholson, Ronald. 1994. Ethnic Nationalism and Religious Exclusivism. Politikon. Vol: 21; No 2. p 49-62. Pesic, Vesna. 2009. Serbian Nationalism and the Origins of the Yugoslav Crisis. United States Institute of Peace. Velikonja, Mitja. 2003. Religious Separation and Political Intolerance in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Texas A & M University Press. Zerubavel, Eviatar. 2006. The Elephant in the Room: Silence and Denial in Everyday Life. Oxford University Press. Zimmerman, Warren. 1996. Origins of Catastrophe. New York: Random House