The Bosniaks (eBook)

For the first time in nearly two centuries, one ethnic group now constitutes an absolute majority of Bosnia and Herzegovinas population: the Bosniaks. It is an unlikely development given that, scarcely thirty years ago, they were targeted for extermination and expulsion by Serbias Slobodan Miloevi. Even as the Bosniak community fought to survive these atrocities, it simultaneously came under attack from militants led by Croatian president Franjo Tuman, who attempted to partition Bosnia and Herzegovina between Zagreb and Belgrade.Improbably, the Bosniaks and the Bosnian state survived these campaigns. But the countrys fractious sectarian post-war order has produced the worlds most convoluted constitutional regime, always teetering on the brink of collapse.Jasmin Mujanovi illuminates the sources of contemporary Bosniak political identity, tracing the evolution of a religious community into a secular nation, and shedding light on the future of a nation at a crossroads. He explores the idea of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a national homeland, considers how narratives of genocide influence self-identity, and probes how demographic changes are putting pressure on the countrys political framework.The fate of Bosnia and Herzegovinas peace and democracy rests on the Bosniaks shouldersand with it, the stability of all Southeastern Europe.