History Of Bosnia Research Articles

Slovenians in the Anti-Fascist Struggle in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Building the Federal Foundations of Yugoslavia (1941-1945)

Understanding the socio-historical processes after the April War of 1941 and the dismemberment of Yugoslavia presupposes a deeper knowledge of opposing national perspectives since 1918, when this country was created, of the events between the two world wars, as well as their multidimensional characters, since they largely determined wartime polarizations and alignments. The Second World War is one of the most problematic historical periods in the post-Yugoslav area, from a scientific and political point of view. With numerous relief and insufficiently explored components, it still belongs to the so-called “hot memory”. The disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1941 was greeted by its peoples and political subjects with different visions of whether (and if so: how) a new Yugoslavia should be established. The anti-fascist struggle was led by a partisan movement with the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) playing a dominant role. Each Yugoslavia (“old” and “new”) also meant “a new constitutional concept of the relationship between its main peoples/political groups” (Dejan Jović). The history of the Slovenes, wrote Edvard Kardelj at the end of the thirties of the 20th century, “is nothing but a long chain of oppression and trampling of a small nation”. After the First World War (the “Great War”), the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 and the collapse of Austria-Hungary divided the Slovenes among four countries. The parcelization of the Slovenian ethnic space did not end there. The territory of Slovenia (Drava Banovina) after the fragmentation of Yugoslavia in 1941 was divided between Germany, Italy and Hungary, into six parts, with different administrative regimes. The Slovenian people were torn apart, humiliated, threatened with destruction and disappearance from the ethnic map of Europe. This people was one of “the most fragmented in Europe and all the occupiers planned to wipe it out through persecution, assimilation and denationalization. Research on refugees and exile is closely related to issues of human rights, nationalism, genocide and ethnocide. This issue has a humanitarian, political, legal and moral dimension. Part of the exiled Slovenes also came to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1941, which was part of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). Slovenes have a specific place in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina since the end of the 19th century. They also contributed to the development of the National Liberation Movement ( NOP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by acting in an illegal revolutionary movement and partisan units, as well as participating in the constitution of the new government and defining the future internal structure of post-war Yugoslavia. The war in the territory of occupied Yugoslavia was, among other things, a civil war that destroyed the idea that this monarchist state can be restored in the form in which it was created in 1918. The ranks of the NOP included Slovenians who lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina before the war, as well as those who came as exiles in 1941. Major events related to the construction of the “new” Yugoslavia took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which Slovenians participated, important for the history of Slovenia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. By actively participating in the anti-fascist war, the engagement and visions of their prominent representatives at the top of the NOP (Edvard Kardelj and others) and in the activities of the AVNOJ in 1943, determining and making its landmark decisions, the Slovenians had a significant share in the victory and establishment of a new, federal the Yugoslav state and the construction of the statehood of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Complex Yugoslav federalism, with scattered forms and models, represented a specific historical phenomenon.

Russian Sources on Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austro–Hungarian Rule, 1878–1908

The article provides a brief overview of Russian historical sources on the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period of the Austro–Hungarian occupation. The body of literature on the subject includes a wealth of work devoted to Austria–Hungary’s modernisation policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1878 and 1914. However, researchers have not yet considered how the Great Powers that made important decisions about the fate of the provinces appraised the governance model of the Austro–Hungarian Empire. Such decisions were made not only on the basis of foreign policy interests and international relations, but also on the basis of observations from the occupied territories. Russian analysts closely explored the development of the provinces in the multi-ethnic Habsburg Monarchy between 1878 and 1908. Russian officials realised that the situation in the multireligious region was very complicated. They analysed both how Austria–Hungary managed this situation as an empire, and their governance model from the point of view of another empire.

140 Years of the Herzegovina Uprising: Research and Unification of Materials From the Legacy of Hamdija Kapidžić and Documents About the Herzegovina Uprising in the Funds of the NULB&H, Archive of B&H, Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovin

The Herzegovina uprising in 1882, as the uprisings that preceded it, represent a specific period in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Numerous studies were conducted to clarify this topic and the significance of the Herzegovinian uprising for the entire Bosnian society and its position in world trends. We can find sources on this topic in heritage institutions throughout the country and outside its borders.
 This work aims to present the results of research and unification of materials from the legacy of Hamdija Kapidžić and documents about the Herzegovina Uprising in the funds of the NULB&H, Archive of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the funds of Austrian libraries and archives. The material is presented through a bibliography with accompanying registers and will serve as a starting point for all researchers and users dealing with this topic. At the same time, it will bring a significant overview of this part of our history.

Analiza prikaza grobalja naselja Lupac i Preočica u Vitezu na katastarskim planovima starog i novog premjera

Real estate data have various applicationis in society, and they are collected during the geodetic survey. The survey involves a comprehensive process of collecting graphical and descriptive data about real estate. The first survey of the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina was carried out by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. It was made after the Berlin Congress, which was a big turning point in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The survey began in 1880 and ended in 1884. Thus, geodesy gained a significant place in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The survey was carried out according to the Instruction for Cadastral Survey of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued in 1880 by the Military Geographical Institute in Vienna (German: Militärgeographischen Institut Wien - MGI), and today it is called the old survey. During the survey, numerous data on cadastral parcels were collected: their spatial position, name, land use, possessor or owner, etc. The data were, in accordance with the laws and bylaws in force during the Austro-Hungarian occupation, processed and put into use as the official results of the survey. The results of this survey are cadastral plans, cadastral register as well as land property register. It is important to emphasize that the results of the first systematic survey of the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina are significant historical sources today. They can be used as historical sources, not only for analyzing the history of the geodetic profession, but also as sources for a detailed analysis of many events in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the end of the Second World War, a new survey began on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During this survey, the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina was not surveyed. The results of this survey are cadastral plans, cadastral register of the land cadaster and cadastral register of the cadaster of real estate. Nowadays, the data of the new survey are becoming the data of the land property register. The comprehensiveness of the surveys is reflected in the collection of geodetic data about cemeteries. Subsequently, the survey data have a historical character and historical cartography occupies an important place among historical sources. During the survey of the area of Lupac and Preočica, data were collected on the cemeteries located within these settlements. The collected data were processed and entered into registers established after the completion of the survey. During the preparation of cadastral plans of the old and new survey, their topography is prescribed, ie the planned topographic map symbols are drawn. The plans of the old survey were topographed in accordance with the Instruction for Cadastral Survey of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which contains a template - a catalog of topographic symbols. The plans of the new survey were topographed according to the topographic key - the collection of topographic symbols. Topographic symbols on cadastral plans were used to analyze the depiction of the cemetery in this paper. Cadastral plans of the old and new surveys were used to analyze the spatial position of the cemetery. Data from the cadastral record were used to analyze the state of possessory of the analyzed cemeteries, and data from the land property register were used to analyze the ownership of the surveyed cemeteries. The previously mentioned data were studied in the paper in order to analyze the positions, topography as well as cadastral and land registry data of the Lupac and Preočica cemeteries, located in the Vitez municipality. The existence of a cemetery on the ground is completely defined by the existence of gravestones. Most of the analyzed cemeteries are Muslim, and various Muslim tombstones - nišan - were observed during field research. In order to complete the research, a sample of a certain number of muslim gravestones were analyzed. Muslim gravestones were created in different time periods, so they are characterized by several different features. The analysis of the muslim gravestones was primarily reflected in the analysis of epigraphy.

General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sociological Functions of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the Basis of De / Stabilization and Dis / Functionality of the State

The author explain the importance of the conditions and circumstances under which the state constitution is adopted and their reciprocal impact on the applicability of the constitution in practice. The focus of the analysis is on considering the possibility of exercising the sociological functions of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (symbolic, legitimizing and integrative function), in the context of the conditions that led to the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in connection with subsequently established and court-verified facts confirming the violation of international law. Arguments for the possibility of achieving and strengthening the sociological functions of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the author finds in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is characterized by centuries of tradition of coexistence and tolerance. The paper concludes that the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina performs sociological functions in the basic elements, but that these functions can be developed and strengthened over time. However, the author emphasizes that there is a danger of the emergence of opposite tendencies that can lead to the disintegration of society, which is confirmed by the current political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Prošlost Bosne i Hercegovine na stranicama Kalendara Narodne uzdanice / The past of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the pages of the Kalendar Narodne uzdanice

In the period from 1923 to 1945, the Muslim Cultural and Educational Society “Narodna uzdanica” operated in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As part of its publishing
 activities, this society, once a year, published the Kalendar, a publication of a cultural and educational nature. In almost every issue, articles were published where numerous authors
 with varying degrees of success sought to contribute to the study of the past of Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially that part of the past in which Bosnia and Herzegovina was under
 Ottoman rule. This paper aims to offer a brief overview of the works that thematically dealt with the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Kalendar Narodne uzdanice, to point out
 their importance, and in some places to show how political and ideological circumstances influenced published works. A selective bibliography of historiographical works published
 in the Kalendar Narodne uzdanice is offered as a contribution to the work.

Prikaz//Review: Journal of the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo (History, History of Arts, Archeology), posebno izdanje: Reflections on Life and Society in the Western Balkans. Studies in the History of Bosnia and Herzegovina, knjiga 7, broj 2, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo 2020, 321 str.

Prikaz//Review: Journal of the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo (History, History of Arts, Archeology), posebno izdanje: Reflections on Life and Society in the Western Balkans. Studies in the History of Bosnia and Herzegovina, knjiga 7, broj 2, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo 2020, 321 str.

Informbirovska kriza i Bosna i Hercegovina (1948-1956) u historijskim izvorima i historiografiji

In terms of historiography, the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Second World War has been dealt with by many historians and scholars, dealing with and researching topics related to the economy, culture, the issue of religious communities, political circumstances, etc. What is lacking in historiographical research in the period after the Second World War is certainly the question of education (educational opportunities), as well as the question of the repercussions and consequences of the Informbiro crisis in the period from 1948 to 1956 for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The period from 1948 to 1956 is one of the most dramatic and fateful phases in the recent history of the South Slavic countries, ie Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a period of very contradictory and turbulent social processes, which have led to complex changes in all areas of socio-economic and political reality, both domestically (in Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina) and internationally. Stalin's attempt to subjugate the Yugoslav party leadership to Soviet domination will lead to an open split between Tito and Stalin (Yugoslavia and the USSR), which will have major consequences for the development of the Yugoslav political system, will lead to universal persecution of all those who voted for politics. Informbiroa in Yugoslavia. The conflict will have a particular impact on the political, economic and social situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aim of this paper is to point out the historical sources that are in the archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, archives in Belgrade (Archives of Yugoslavia) and Zagreb on the basis of which the necessary data can be drawn to understand this issue, as well as to point to historiography (books, collections of papers and journals) that dealt with the issue of the Informbiro crisis in the period from 1948 to 1956 and its reflection on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is due to the fact that very few scientists and historians have dealt with this issue, as well as that there is very little historical literature for this period, especially for the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It should be noted that we have a historian who has dealt with this issue at the micro level, and as a result a book was published in 2005 entitled „Informbiro and Northeast Bosnia: Echoes and Consequences of the KPJ-Informbiro Conflict (1948-1953)", where the general public with this event, which has a great impact on the political and socio-economic situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. From the appearance of this book until today, there have been attempts to shed light on this issue through several scientific conferences and round tables, and the result has been published collections of papers, as well as articles published in some journals, both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and wider.

Ottoman History and the Islamic-Ottoman Cultural Legacy in Bosnia in the First Edition of the Encyclopaedia of Yugoslavia (1950–1971)

Abstract The article analyses how the first edition of the Encyclopedia of Yugoslavia (1955–1971) treated the Ottoman history and Islamo-Ottoman cultural legacy. The article is based on encyclopedic articles, documents related to the editing and writing of the encyclopedia and marginalia written by the editor-in-chief of the project. The first edition of the EJ was affected – albeit inconsistently – by the officially sanctioned anti-Ottoman discourse that presented this era as the time of oppression and backwardness. The Ottoman history in Bosnia was seen as an important topic and it was given a large space. In contrast to the articles on ideologically important topics, a large portion of articles on Ottoman history was written in a neutral manner. The Islamo-Ottoman contributions to Bosnian cultural legacy were marginalized as part of the deliberate editorial policy. This policy changed only in the last, 8th, volume reflecting political changes in the country.

Modern Political History of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Since Bosnia and Herzegovina’s declaration of independence in 1995, its path has been a rocky one. Unwillingness by the international community to stand by the central government and stand in the way of the neighboring states of Serbia and Croatia’s territorial pretensions, produced a succession of ceasefire agreements, culminating in the final, Dayton Peace Agreement. Each of these agreements espoused the ethnic principle as the guiding philosophy for the organization of the state. The post-war period demonstrates that despite the passage of time, the principle of organization of multi-ethnic state along ethnic lines presents a stumbling block to the functioning of the political, economic and social life in the country. The political history of post-independence Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) therefore reads as a history of protracted political paralysis, with no hope of rectifying the problems without another forceful intervention of the international community.

Herzegovina in the “Turkish Empire”. The Russian Consul A. N. Kudryavtsev about the life of the region in the 1860s

The present article dwells upon an unpublished essay about the Ottoman province of Herzegovina in the 19th century. The author of this text is a Russian consul in Mostar Alexei N. Kudryavtsev. The essay was written in 1867 and probably should have been included into the book “The Turkish Empire”. There are several evidences about the existence of this book, however it has not been found yet. Kudryavtsev’s essay embraces a wide range of problems of Herzegovina in the 19th century. It deals with the geography, ethnography and statistics, history of the region, as well as provides a general overview of trade, industry and communication routes in Herzegovina in 1866. The text is stored in the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire and is being published for the first time. Kudryavtsev’s essay tells us about the situation in Herzegovina and its problems. The consul gives a brief description of each area of Herzegovina. The description of trade relations is particularly important. The Consul provides a detailed list of imported and exported goods with an indication of their value. The article might be of interest to researchers focusing on the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the activities of the Russian Foreign Ministry, and on the economic history and ethnography of the Balkan peoples.

Writing History in a Globalising World

This paper examines the challenges and methodological concerns which stand before historians wishing to engage in the endeavour of writing history in an increasingly globalising world of research and education which is interconnected and interdependent today more than ever before. Having in mind these challenges, it argues that the future of the discipline lies in a constant reassessment of dominant paradigms, historiographic narratives, primary and secondary sources, scholarly methods, but, more importantly, ourselves, our own cultural and social values, as well as of the disciplinary boundaries and limits of knowledge. Together with examining the mentioned challenges, this paper specifically pays attention to the future of writing history of the Western Balkans in the global era, particularly the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whilst it also critically reassesses the current level of knowledge in the English-speaking world on the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, the authors of this paper argue that the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina is being increasingly integrated in the global academic landscape, whilst simultaneously pointing out to the issues which still lie ahead of researchers. The purpose of this paper on the future of writing history in a globalising world was to provide a context for twelve scholarly articles published in the special issue of Journal of the Faculty of Philosophy (History, History of Arts, Archaeology), Vol. 7, No. 2, 2020, as well as to point out to the ways these articles might fit into the global repositories of the historiographic knowledge.

The referendum on Republika Srpska’s National Day — a political response to the abuse of historical policy

The National Day Referendum of September 25, 2016 has so far remained the only successful attempt of the Republika Srpska’s authorities of holding a plebiscite within the republic. Previously, Banja Luka had been forced by strong international pressure to abandon three such attempts - on issues of higher political significance. On the one hand, this shows the absence of immediate political implications of the vote on the status of the National Day; on the other, it demonstrated once again the intense confrontation of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s ethnic communities in the field of symbols and key historical stereotypes, especially with regards to events from their recent history, namely the Bosnian civil war of 1992–1995. However, the relatively insignificant National Day issue gave the President of the RS, Milorad Dodik a chance to establish a precedent in the history of Bosnia of the Dayton agreement by holding a separate referendum at the level of the republic. Supported by the Western powers, the efforts of the Bosniak leader Bakir Izetbegović to tread on the Bosnian Serbs’ interests in the field of historical policy and symbolics in fact afforded the President of the RS an opportunity to strengthen the autonomy of his republic. Milorad Dodik efficiently used the strong pressure from Sarajevo and the West along with the support from Russia for Bosnian Serb national mobilisation that resulted in massive electoral support — 99 % of 56 % voters that took part in the ballot were in favour of 9 January to be proclaimed the Republika Srpska’s National Day. In spite of the strong outside pressure, Dodik triumphed in carrying out a major political action and establishing a base for Banja Luka’s future independent political ventures. He also demonstrated utmost caution and pragmatism as he exploited further the 25 September Referendum. Although engaging in brinkmanship, he never crossed the red line of escalation into a regional conflict and/or direct Western intervention.

The character of Mehmed-paša Sokolović in Ivo Andrić’s works

Summary Ivo Andrić was searching and finding material for his stories and novels in the past, especially in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which represents the central topos in his literary output. As noted in the explanation of the Nobel Committee, Andrić received in 1961 the Nobel Prize in Literature “for the epic force with which he has traced themes and depicted human destinies drawn from the history of his country”. The protagonists of Andrić’s stories and novels rarely include important historical personalities, and the most significant among them as a literary subject was Mehmed-paša Sokolović, the 16th century Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. The way in which Andrić portrayed the character of Mehmed-paša Sokolović in the novel ‘The Bridge on the Drina’ (Na Drini ćuprija) reflects some of the fundamental premises of his approach to narration, including his profoundly humanist intentions. Andrić held that oral (and written) stories and legends contained the true history of the humanity, and that one could grasp from them the real meaning of that history. Accordingly, in portraying Sokolović’s character, being confronted with historical documents on the one hand, and folkloric material on the other, Andrić gave primacy to the latter, even at the cost of disagreement between historical fact and oral tradition. Moreover, Andrić did not seek “the meaning of history” of Mehmed-paša Sokolović and his bridge in the historical data from Sokolović’s impressive political career accomplished in the Ottoman Empire, but in the bridge which outlived him and started the legend about him. With the novel ‘The Bridge on the Drina’ he created a “literary history” about the creation and meaning of the Višegrad bridge on these grounds – a unique literary “legacy for Mehmed-paša’s legacy”, widening and deepening the legend of Mehmed-paša Sokolović.

A Concise History of Bosnia

A Concise History of Bosnia

The Importance and Role of Archival Material in General Range of Historical Studies (Bosnian-Herzegovian Experience)

This paper discusses the importance of archival material and especially its publication for historical research. In fact, starting from the Middle Ages through to the modern age, historical research and historical achievements of science to a large extent depended on the archive material (written historical sources). Historical sources can be provided through archival fonds and collections, or through the publication of archival material in the conference documents. The process of provision of historical sources is long and complex, involves a wide range of professional, organizational and technical actions and procedures, since the creation of archives to the placing of the same in the user purposes. An important basis for historical research make published archive documents, including certain technical and material basis. In the archives in Bosnia and Herzegovina this important issue has always been given attention in accordance with human and material capacities of the same, which were mostly very poor. A little more attention paid to this area of work is in the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in regional archives in Tuzla, Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Mostar, which resulted in the publication of several dozen collections of documents. Publishing of archival documents (historical sources) created the important research and scientific base, which has resulted in a significant historical synthesis relating to important issues and topics from the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A concise history of Bosnia

A concise history of Bosnia

境界を描く

As a cultural space, Bosnia was formed on the borders of Western and Eastern Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Religious diversity in the heartland of the Balkans did not cause serious conflict, but rather fostered coexistence, until the end of the Ottoman regime. However, the nationalism that emerged in surrounding areas during the nineteenth century penetrated Bosnia, where the question of national belongings became increasingly pressing in the twentieth century. The collapse of Yugoslavia under the slogan of the “brotherhood and unity” was followed by war; multiethnic Bosnia disintegrated into three ethnic components, those of the Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs, and two political entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republika Srpska. This paper deals with the representation of Bosnia in the literary works of native Bosnian writers; it focuses on the polysemic feature of “the border” and reveals that the diverse portrayal of Bosnia in these works reflects each writer’s experience and the more general social situation. In his short story, “Letter from the Year 1920,” Ivo Andrić presents Bosnia as “a land of hatred” and profiles its religious diversity as generating intercultural conflicts. The depiction of Bosnia as demarked by multiple cultural borders is characteristic of Andric’s compositions; this short story reveals a striking picture of such a Bosnia, one that echoes the writer’s experience in the two disastrous wars of the first half of the twentieth century. Hasan, a character in Meša Selimović’s novel The Dervish and Death, which was published in 1966, describes the Bosnian as an in-between, unfinished creature, deprived of any particular cultural identity. In this depiction, Hasan discloses the internal state of Selimović, an atheistic communist who values traditional Muslim culture. At the same time, the Bosnian depicted by Hasan reflects the condition of the Muslims of Yugoslavia until the end of 1960s, when they remained a vague ethnic group without any official nationality. Andrićʼs character Maks Levenfeld, who depicts Bosnia as a land of hatred, reappears in Dževad Karahasan’s “Letter from the Year 1993,” first published in 1996. In contrast to Andrićʼs Maks, Karahasan’s character describes Bosnia as a multicultural space in which people “jealously” maintain their cultural diversity. Bosnia here is conceptualized as a domain of intercultural communication, and the borders once featured by Andrić as dividing lines are profiled as interstitial spheres that create a society with internal cultural diversity. By reversing the picture represented in the letter of Andrićʼs Maks, Karahasan tries to recover his Bosnia, whose society is balanced by cultural diversity. The different presentations of Bosnia in three writers correspond to diverse conceptualizations of “the border”—Andrićʼs as dividing lines; Selimovićʼs as in-between places where people without clear identification dwell; and Karahasanʼs as interstitial spaces that can generate intercultural relationships. Each also reflects a different phase in the history of Bosnia, from the time immediately after World War II, through the Yugoslav regime, to the collapse of the multinational state.

Pouring out Postsocialist Fears: Practical Metaphysics of a Therapy at a Distance

AbstractThis paper examines the healing practice ofstrava, which translates as “great fear.” With a long oral history in Bosnia, it has become particularly popular since the end of socialism and the 1990s war. This postsocialist therapy, informed by gifting dispositions, is a bustling business that intervenes into disorders that people commonly relate to the new economy.Stravatreatment presupposes distance, since the therapist rarely touches the bodies at hand, and concerned intimates commonly arranged interventions in a patient's absence. Inspired by Bruno Latour's advice to expand our notion of agency in directions indicated by those we study, I depart from the earlier accounts ofstravaas a traditional and symbolic folk practice. Instead, I explore its claims to efficacy in competition with psycho-pharmaceutical treatments of anxiety and depression in contemporary Bosnia. Of particular interest is a commonplace therapeutic blunder—the accidental mixing of “fears” water and Coke, which therapists shrug off as inconsequential. This points to a model of action best explored outside the pragmatics of science studies, employing insights gained from a rereading of Mauss', Tylor's, and Frazer's classic theories of sympathetic magic. I examine what makesstravawater—carefully prepared with prayers and handled by the therapist's and patient's wishing breaths—ritually potent, while Coke remains ineffectual. I show that this therapy is the domain of wishing, which does not interrupt a sphere of new political economy, but nevertheless intervenes in the bodies that suffer from it, and effectively redraws the limits of the social.

Witness and Testimonies: A Diachronic Perspective on the History of the Bosnian Muslims

In his essay, “Witness and Testimonies: A Diachronic Perspective on the History of the Bosnian Muslims,” Rusmir Mahmutćehajić explores and deconstructs ideological abuses of some of the most important terms in the Muslim intellectual tradition. The terms ‘witness’ and ‘witnessing’, ‘opener’ and ‘opening’ are of key significance for understanding and reasoning for Muslim sacred tradition. Distorted, narrowed and reductive forms of these terms have been taken by antimuslim ideologists as material within their own constructions. In deconstructing the ideological abuse of these terms, Mahmutćehajić applies new knowledge from his experience in Scriptural Reasoning. Terms from the cultural history of Bosnia are used as study cases.