Die Rolle von Religion in politischen Konflikten: eine Betrachtung der religiösen Dimension in den Jugoslawienkriegen : Masterarbeit

Mršić, Melanie (author), Hidalgo, Oliver (mentor)

This thesis investigates the question: “How did religions influence the Yugoslav Wars in terms of promoting the conflicts and contributing to peace efforts?” The study is structured along two analytical dimensions: first, it examines the extent to which religion functioned not merely as a cultural or social distinction but as a decisive factor in the identity discourses of the conflicting parties. Second, it explores how religious institutions and actors concretely impacted the wars—both in fueling conflict and in attempting peacebuilding. To answer this question, the study integrates several theoretical frameworks: the Social Identity Theory by Henri Tajfel and John C. Turner (1986), the concept of Religiosity as Identity by Ysseldyk et al. (2010), Jonathan Fox’s Dynamic Theory of Ethno-Religious Conflict (1999), and the analytical model proposed by Hasenclever and Rittberger in Does Religion Make a Difference? This synthesis of theories produced specific analytical categories that guided the empirical investigation and helped bridge theoretical and practical perspectives. Through a historical analysis of the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the decades-long process of disintegration among its republics, as well as the role of religion as a component of national identity—marginalized under socialism but revitalized in the lead-up to war—this thesis demonstrates that religion historically served as a crucial marker of ethnic and national belonging. This made it a potent tool for political elites, nationalist movements, and religious institutions to exploit. Religion was used to morally justify violence, sacralize national claims, and legitimize political objectives through symbolic language and historical narratives. The sacralization of the wars imbued them with a quasi-religious dimension, further intensifying hostilities. The thesis finds that religion significantly amplified the conflicts by reinforcing rigid in-group/out-group boundaries, invoking historical grievances, and embedding nationalist ideology within theological rhetoric. It also contributed to the discursive construction of enemies, portraying other ethnic groups as existential threats and thus perpetuating cycles of fear and aggression. Efforts toward peace—both interreligious and institutional—proved largely ineffective. Interfaith dialogue and peace initiatives failed, primarily due to the religious leaders’ reluctance to engage in meaningful reform and their entrenched self-perception as collective victims.

• Language: German
• Keywords: Religiöse Konflikte, Identität und Religion, Kriege im Gebiet des ehemaligen Jugoslawien, Ethnonationalismus, Friedensbildung ali Friedensförderung
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.09 - Master's Thesis
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Place of publishing: Ljubljana
• Publisher: M. Mršić
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 1 spletni vir (1 datoteka PDF (89 str.))
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180934
• UDC: 327.5:2(497.1)(043.2)
• COBISS.SI-ID: 273139459
• Publication date in RUL: 20.03.2026

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Vloga religije v političnih konfliktih: analiza verskega vidika v vojnah na območju nekdanje Jugoslavije : magistrsko delo
• Keywords: verski konflikti, identiteta in religija, vojne na območju nekdanje Jugoslavije, etno-nacionalizem, gradnja miru