Date of Award
8-26-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
First Advisor
Carol Lilly
Committee Members
Caroline Cooper; Linda Van Ingen; Roger Davis
Keywords
Bosnian War
Abstract
This paper investigates the survival strategies employed by Bosnian Muslims during the civil wars of the 1990s, with a focus on how these strategies influenced the practice and evolution of Bosnian Islam. Drawing on primary and secondary sources, survivor interviews, and analyses of religious and social practices, the study identifies two key modes of response: adaptation and resistance. While resistance—including underground organizing, covert publications, and occasional armed defense—played a role during periods of extreme threat, it was primarily historical patterns of adaptation that enabled long-term survival and continuity. Therefore, the paper covers the challenges encountered and survival strategies used by the Bosnian Muslims starting with the Tanzimat reforms of the mid-1800’s, through the break with the Ottoman Empire and takeover by Austro-Hungarian authorities in 1878, into World War I, the inter-war period, World War II, and the takeover by communist authorities in 1945. Additionally, it also focuses on the long communist period that lasted until the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990’s. The ability to resist and adapt during these previous struggles informed the Bosnian Muslim community on how to survive the horrors of the war of the 1990’s and the uncertainty of recovering and rebuilding during the post-war period. These adaptive strategies included collaboration with political structures, modification of religious practices, and alignment with secular authority, particularly under the legacy of Tito’s communist regime. The thesis argues that these responses, adaptation and resistance, not only ensured the immediate survival of Bosnian Muslim communities but also shaped the trajectory of Islamic practice and identity in the post-war period. Ultimately, this research contributes to broader discussions on religion in conflict zones, highlighting the resilience and strategic agency of religious communities under duress.
Recommended Citation
Mascio, Iris, "Resistance and Adaptation: How Religion Survived a War" (2025). History Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity. 59.
https://openspaces.unk.edu/hist-etd/59