Anthropologist Tone Bringa’s fieldwork portrayed Bosnian Muslims and Catholic Croats living together peaceably in a Bosnian village. How did she explain the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims that occurred just a few years later?

Question

Religion sparked conflict among ethnicities that might otherwise have maintained peace.
Ancient ethnic conflicts between these groups, and Serbs as well, were reactivated.
Outside political forces manipulated ethnic identities.
Low-level conflicts in the village were simmering, but Bringa’s fieldwork downplayed this.

Answer 1

Bringa explained the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims as a result of outside political forces manipulating ethnic identities. She argued that ancient ethnic conflicts between Bosnian Muslims, Catholic Croats, and Serbs were reactivated and exploited by external actors to justify violence and displacement. Additionally, she acknowledged that religion played a role in sparking conflict among the different ethnic groups, but emphasized that there were other underlying factors at play as well. Overall, Bringa’s analysis highlights the complexity of interethnic relations and the vulnerability of peace in diverse societies.