Date of Award

Spring 4-29-2016

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

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Department

Sociology, Anthropology & Criminal Justice; College of Arts & Sciences

First Advisor

Ana Maria Garcia

Abstract

Bosnia is a peculiar state. This peculiarity stems from its ethnic and religious heterogeneity that has, in the past, created a multicultural and remarkably tolerant society. This was exemplified by the city of Sarajevo, which showed off its multiculturalism and its supposedly inclusive social structure to the world during the 1984 Winter Olympics. Ten years later, however, the tolerance and inclusiveness of Sarajevo was under siege by the Yugoslav military (JNA) and paramilitaries associated with the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS). The Yugoslav Wars of Succession (1991-2002) tends to be categorized as an ethnic conflict stemming from primordial, or ancient, hatreds. This interpretation seems myopic. This author will attempt to challenge or confirm the salience of ethno-religious identity in the Bosnian theater of the Yugoslav Wars of Succession using the works of Edward Azar and Protracted Social Conflict Theory (PSCT). Additionally, Ted Gurr’s Minorities at Risk database provides a methodology to make broader assertions regarding conflict based on empirical and observable data associated with past conflicts. This methodology will be applied to use lessons learned from Bosnia that could be transferred to a potential peace process in Syria.

Comments

Degree: Global Security & Emergency Management

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