The Genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Historical and Ideological Context
The Genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Historical and Ideological Context

Author(s): Ben Kiernan
Subject(s): Military history, Political history, Nationalism Studies, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Wars in Jugoslavia
Published by: Institut za istraživanje zločina protiv čovječnosti i međunarodnog prava Univerziteta u Sarajevu
Keywords: genocide; Srebrenica; ideology; nationalism; “ethnic cleansing”; territorial expansion; racism; religious prejudice; genocide studies; comparative genocide; Yugoslavia; international justice;
Summary/Abstract: This chapter situates the Genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina within a broader comparative and historical framework of twentieth-century mass violence. It argues that the ideological foundations of the genocide in Bosnia in the early 1990s shared key characteristics with other genocidal regimes, including those in Cambodia, Rwanda, and elsewhere. Four central ideological elements are identified: racial and religious prejudice, territorial expansionism, the drive to restore a perceived lost national grandeur, and the idealization of rural life combined with anti-urban sentiment. Drawing on historical precedents from the Second World War and the postwar period in Yugoslavia, the chapter demonstrates how these ideological patterns evolved into a coherent framework that enabled and legitimized genocidal violence. Particular attention is paid to the role of Serbian nationalist discourse in constructing Bosniaks as both a biological and political threat, thereby justifying their destruction. The chapter also highlights the interplay between expansionist ambitions and practices of “ethnic cleansing”, as well as the symbolic targeting of urban spaces. By placing the Genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina in a wider comparative perspective, the chapter contributes to a deeper understanding of the recurring ideological mechanisms that underpin genocide. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of international justice processes, including the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, in establishing accountability and historical truth.

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