Religious pluralism and multinational federalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Introduction The recognition of national diversity and its accommodation via federalism and autonomy have become key features in Europe and beyond since the end of the Cold War. New models of federalism and territorial autonomy address issues around national diversity in many European countries (Belgium, Spain, Italy) and beyond (Russia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Iraq). This contribution will focus on the role of religious pluralism in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia is a distinctively multinational state, in which three groups (Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats) are characterized as constituent peoples and together they represent more than 90 per cent of the Bosnian population. Whilst Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats are clearly favored by the Constitution and therefore enjoy special privileges within the institutions and territorial units, they are similar in many respects: they speak the same language, they share the same history (but not the same interpretation of the past), they all follow certain customs and they all consider Bosnia as their historic homeland. The main distinction between the three groups in Bosnia is religion, Bosniaks are Muslims, while Serbs are Orthodox Christian and Croats are Catholic. Therefore, Bosnia’s multinational federal system can be described as a mechanism to accommodate religious diversity in the country. Religion plays a central role in the self-identification of people and thereby influences not only the engagement with other members of the same (religious) group, but also the interaction with members of other groups. This paper chapter will progress in the following steps: it will begin with a general overview of Bosnia, its different ethnic and religious groups, and the country’s current political system. In this context, it will also be discussed how religion acts as the most important marker of the three main groups in Bosnia. In a second step, the relationship between nationalism, religion and territoriality will be explored. This part will demonstrate how federalism has been used to address the demands of the three national groups, but how it has failed to calm demands for secession and further autonomy. Finally, the third section will look at current developments in the country, focusing specifically on a 2009 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights and its influence on the dynamics of nationalism, religion and territoriality in Bosnia. The main argument of this contribution is that religion has become the most important national marker in Bosnia. Federalism has been used as the main strategy to address different national (and consequently also religious) issues in the country. Yet, so far the federal system has not resulted in a stable democratic state, but in a polity that remains internally and externally contested. Religious leaders have contributed to this contest and continue to influence political dynamics.