Close Encounters in War Journal (Dec 2024)
Personal Narratives of the Bosnian War Experiences among the Clergy
Abstract
The Bosnian War (1992-1995) was fought between three constitutive nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats) after the collapse of Yugoslavia, who mainly be-long to three distinctive religions (Islam, Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholicism). The individual clerics suffered from war events, violent conflicts, and war crimes just like the rest of the populace. While some clerics became increasingly nationalistic and sided with their ethnic kin, others accepted the trauma and entered the path of reconciliation through interreligious dialogue for peace. This paper reports the personal narratives and traumas of these clerics and explains their motives for peace-building and reconciliation from personal and theological perspectives. The article builds on a series of semi-structured interviews recorded with the religious leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 2019 and 2021, providing insight into their traumas and experiences. Most of the interviewed clerics were from Central Bosnia and parts of Eastern Herzegovina and belonged to three religious groups. They were asked why they are active in the local interreligious councils and what they hope to achieve through interfaith dialogue.
