SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS LEADING TO ETHNIC GROUP CONFLICTS: A REVIEW OF THE BOSNIAN GENOCIDE

Abstract

Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world, home to many ethnic groups. Although it includes various ethnic groups, the majority of the country's population is made up of Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats, and Muslim Bosniaks. Ethno-religious identities that develop on the basis of religious and sectarian differences cause everything to be divided into three on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although the three groups lived peacefully in the same geography for many years, the disintegration of Yugoslavia damaged this peace and tranquility environment as the nationalist movement began to take effect in the region. During this period, questions were asked about “who will stay in charge and who will dominate the other,” and this process brought to light the perception of “us” and “the other.” Strongly influenced by the nationalist movement, Serbs carried out one of the most horrific massacres of Bosniaks in history with the desire to dominate the “other” and destroy the “other” under the influence of political actors and socio-psychological dynamics. "So how did Milošević, the political leader at the time, and socio-psychological factors start the process of the Bosnian Genocide?" In the study, this question is sought in the light of the theory of collective violence. In this context, the study aims to read ethnic group conflicts from a different perspective by addressing the socio-psychological dynamics that led to bosnian Jenosidi within the scope of the nationalist movement.