HNPG 036P (or 033T)
History: Bosnian Genocide In the Historical Perspective

Important Note: This syllabus is from a past course, it is intended for informational purposes ONLY.  Actual class requirements, texts, and grading may vary.

BOSNIA IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: NATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS AMONG THE YUGOSLAVS (1500-1996)

This course seeks to provide the historical contexts of the recent Yugoslav crisis. What explains the sudden collapse of the Yugoslav Socialist Republic and the subsequent bloody civil wars in Croatia and Bosnia? Why did Serbian and Croat militias slaughter the Muslims of Bosnia/Herzegovina and why did they "cleanse" entire areas of "unwanted native elements"? Also, can the verbal polemics exchanged between Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria over Macedonia result in violence? Can the increasingly tense conflicts between Kosovo Albanians and Serbian government be resolved peacefully? Such questions form the starting point for this course.

We will explore the past in order to understand the dangers looming in what historians have sometimes called "the European Middle East" (Walter Kolarz). Our focus will be on the issue of nationalism and the violent conflicts that were triggered by assertions of nationalist sentiments in the past. Nowhere in Europe is nationalism as explosive as in Yugoslavia, where there is an intermingling of diverse peoples; not only two but even three or four ethnic groups frequently pressed together in a narrow area. The basic unifying factor of the Western nation states, a framework of ethnic and linguistic boundaries, is completely absent here. The boundaries that existed in Yugoslavia were drawn by foreign powers at international peace conferences during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Yugoslav nationalities have always disputed the validity of such boundaries and demanded the formation of clearly defined "national" territories. Given the high degree of ethnic intermixture, however, nationalist programs and demands have always had the potential for causing ethnic strife and expansionist wars.

This course will begin with the tragic events of the nineties (eg. Vukovar siege; Omarska death camp; Srebrenica massacre). Then, we will turn to an in-depth study of South Slavic (or Yugoslav) history beginning in Ottoman times and ending with the devastations of World War II. Class discussion of the histories and national mythologies of Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania and Serbia will serve as a catalyst for the development of your own research projects.

Requirements:

A) Each student will write a research paper of 15-20 double-spaced typewritten pages. You should develop your own research project on a particular aspect of Yugoslav history that you find compelling or important. I will assist you with bibliographic references and by reading drafts. I suggest that you pay attention to the following schedule:

1. February 1st. One-page statement of topic and thesis; an annotated bibliography of relevant books, sources and articles you plan to use.

2. March 1st. First draft of paper.

3. Last day of classes. Final draft of paper.

B) Each student will give a 10-15 minute in-class presentation on the progress ofher/his research.

C) You should plan individual conferences with your instructor to talk about the progress of your research.

D) You are expected to participate in class discussions and to demonstrate your understanding of assigned readings.

Grades:

Research Paper 60%
Class Presentation 20%
Class Participation 20%

Required Readings (At UCR Bookstore):

1. Roy Gutman, A Witness to Genocide
2. Misha Glenny, The Fall of Yugoslavia: The Third Balkan War 
3. Milovan Djilas, Land without Justice 
4. Ivo Banac, The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, Politics and History 
5. Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon 
6. Ivo Andric, The Bridge over the Drina 
7. Course Packet (CP) 

Recommended Readings (On reserve at UCR Library):

1. E. I. Hobsbawm, Nations and Nationalism since 1780 
   (Provides a solid survey of current scholarship on nationalism; the book is not eurocentric, but covers Asia, Africa and Latin America as well; at bookstore, but expensive) 
2. Raymond Pearson, National Minorities in Eastern Europe 1848-1945 
   (Contains a comprehensive bibliography on various national cultures in both Eastern Europe and the Balkans) 
3. F. B. Singleton, A Short History of the Yugoslav Peoples (good introduction into the topic with basic bibliographies)
4. Barbara and Charles Jelavich, The Establishment of the Balkan National States, 1804-1920 
   (A standard reference work on the fonnation of South Slavic nationalisms, struggles for statehood, religious and ethnic conflicts, foreign interventions, etc. ) 
5. H. Seton-Watson, Nations and States. An Enquiry into the Origins of Nations and the Politics of Nationalism 
   (Works by this author and his father Robert W. are among the best, if not the best, about the Balkans) 
6. E. Garrison WaIters, The Other Europe: To 1945 
   (A recent and widely-publicized work; contains additional bibliographies) 
7. Other works will be put on reserve as needed. 

READINGS AND TOPICS 

Week One: The Collapse of Yugoslavia: Eyewitness Accounts and Interpretations
Readings: Glenny (selections) UN documents (CP) 

Week Two: Ethnic Cleansing
Readings: Outman (selections) UN documents (CP) 

Week Three: The Lands and Cultures of Yugoslavia
Readings: Banac (selections) 

Week Four: The World ofMehmed Pasha
Readings: Andric, caps. 1-4  Mikhailovich, "God's Punishment of the Serbs" (CP) 

Week Five: Under the Ottomans
Readings: Andric, chaps. 5-9

Week Six: Under the Austrians
Readings: Andric, caps. 10-16Djilas (selections)

Week Seven: From Crisis to World War I 
Readings: Andric, caps. 17 -24 Djilas (selections) 

Week Eight: The Idea of Greater Serbia and non-Serbian Responses
Readings: Banac, "Albanians," "Macedonians" and "Bosnians" West, "Serbia" and "Bosnia" 

Week Nine: Yugoslavia During the Inter-War Period 
Readings: West, "Assassination ofKarageorgevich," "Croatia," and "Montenegro" Christopher Boehm, "Traditional Montenegro: A Refuge-Area Warrior Society" (CP) 

Week Ten: The Second World War and Its Aftermath Readings: M. Djilas, Wartime, caps. 4-5 (CP) Dusko Doder, "Lingering Old Ways" (CP) G. Kligrnan, "The Wedding of the Dead" (CP)