Maria en de mijnenwerpers van Medjugorje. De dynamiek van etnische zuivering in ruraal Bosnië-Hercegovina

Samenvatting

This article has been retracted by the editors. Holy Mary and Medjugorje's Racketeers. The Dynamics of Ethnic Cleansing in Rural Bosnia Herzegovina. Social scientists and others tend to approach "ethnic cleansing" in terms of carefully orchestrated and implemented political policy. All eruptions of (ethnic) war violence that do not fit into this perspective are simply labeled primitive Balkanism, age-long tribalism, organized crime, pointless, or mental aberration. This leader-oriented approach is criticized here, illustrating in detail for a rural area in Herzegovina that local vendettas and religious factionalism are among the major determinants of the dynamics of the cleansing process in that region. A more systematic inquiry into the local sources of warfare in that part of the former Yugoslavia is advocated. Offered in conclusion are some general, theoretical observations on de-civilization and identification, particularly in religious formations. 72 References. Adapted from the source document.