De heiligen van Gomila. Geloof en geweld in een Joegoslavische boerensamenleving

Samenvatting

This article has been retracted by the editors. The Saints of Gomila: Belief and Violence in Yugoslav Peasant Society. Most social scientists see little connection between religious ritual and political violence. However, historical analysis of social patterns in the village of Gomila, near Medjugorje, Yugoslavia, reveals an ongoing relationship between ancestor worship and blood feud over the past 700 years, provoking new questions about civilization processes, religion, and state formation. The following periods are discussed: (1) struggle with the Turks and the formation of a ritual complex (1470-1878); (2) Hapsburg centralization and local resistance (1878-1918); (3) war and underground activity (1918-1945); (4) bloody feuds (1945-1981); (5) changes after Marian apparitions (1981-1985); and (6) pilgrimage, pacification, and ritual consolidation (1985-1990). 37 References. Adapted from the source document.