Ethnoreligiosity in the Contemporary Societies of the Former Yugoslavia: The Veils of Christian Delusion

(Hardback)

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Using Christian communities in the former Yugoslavia as a case study, Branko Sekuli introduces the concept of ethnoreligiosity to the theological discussion in order to resolve the confusion that occurs when scholars talk about the concepts of ethno-religion or ethnoreligion. Ethno-religion/ethnoreligion came to describe the phenomenon of ethnic religion as a certain cultural specificity and which by itself has no negative connotation, but due to the lack of a better expression , it has been used as a term for the phenomenon of ethnic and religious conflict and discrimination. In that sense, ethnoreligiosity can be defined as a phenomenon resulting from the usurpation of the religious aspect of human life by the ethnic one, or more precisely, it emerges as a consequence of an ethnic (ethnonational) ideological overtaking of the structures of the religious organization. It takes place through the attempt to give sacral connotation to a particular ethnonational myth as an integral part of ethnonational ideology, with the result that religious feeling is no longer generated on a religious but primarily on an ethnonational base. By understanding the proper definition and manifestation of ethnoreligiosity, one will have the opportunity to discern the basic components of this phenomenon not only within the countries of the former Yugoslavia, but in other countries as well.

Reviews

The analysis is nuanced and fact-based by a very erudite and well-informed scholar. I know of no other person who does it so competently. Sekuli consults and incorporates most of the relevant literature in several languages. In addition, he has done something that is very hard in the Balkan context, and that is not to favor one or the other side in the conflict but deal with the material evenhandedly and judiciously. This is what is usually lacking in most of the books dealing with the Balkan conflicts. From my perspective this is one of the most important qualities: a book by a critical thinker who goes deeplyvery deeplyinto the subject matter without being prejudiced or overtly biased.

Author Bio

Branko Sekuli is a lecturer at the University Center for Protestant Theology Matthias Flacius Illyricus in Zagreb, Croatia.