Patrons, clients, and friends : the role of Bosnian ulama in the rebuilding of trust and coexistence in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

My Ph.D. research is primarily

guided by the fundamental question of how broken trust can be restored

in Bosnia. Within the framework of the general problematic of (a)how the

broken social and inter-communal relations can be rebuilt and (b) what the actual and potential role of Muslim religious leaders are in this rebuilding process, my research focuses on three interrelated processes: ulama’s interpretation of current peacebuilding initiatives at conceptual and practical levels; their own initiatives aimed at facilitating the rebuilding of inter-communal relations; and their influence on the positioning of the Muslim Bosniak community in establishing inter-communal relations through discursive construction of identity frames. To examine the role of ulama in these three processes, I conducted an integrated analysis of spoken and written discourse. The first cluster of data is composed of formal speeches delivered in religio-national commemorations. The second body of data is compiled from the texts of these “power elites,” indicating their hegemonic order, namely fatwas and fatwa-like non-binding religious advisories, sermons, religious instruction materials and the declarations of the IZ.