Identity crisis in post-conflict societies: the ICTY's role in defensive nationalism among the Serbs

Abstract

Being attentive to initial reconstruction of identities in post-conflict environments is critical because robust group images are absent and there remains time and space for shifts in policy. Applying theories of social psychology, overlooked in literature on ethnic violence, peace-building, and reconciliation, this article examines characteristics and consequences of the emerging socio-psychological trend of ‘defensive nationalism’ in post-conflict Serb narratives. The article argues that the proceedings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) have contributed to an identity crisis among the Serbs, and identifies the issues of ‘individual versus collective’ guilt and ‘legal versus political’ trials as major factors. The destabilization of the Serb self-image on the global scene has instigated new, and furthered old, forms of defensiveness, leading to the dismissal of the tribunal's proceedings in favor of contradictory and conspiracy accounts. The point of conducting fair and effective prosecutions is undermined if reconciliation opportunities are simultaneously diminished.