Religions and religious institutions in the post-Yugoslav states between secularization and resurgence

Abstract

In a religiously very heterogeneous country where the Communist state was quite successful to impose secularization, the wars in the context of the dissolution of Yugoslavia which were mainly nationalist but implicitly had religious aspects led to a strengthening of the role of the religious institutions in all successor states. Therefore, for the time after 1990 we can speak of a resurgence of religion in all states of Ex-Yugoslavia. On the level of the individual, the situation can be best described with the term of “confrontational identity”: Religious, together with national or ethnic awareness came to be of great or even prime importance in the confrontation with “other” ethnicities, nations and religions. The religious resurgence manifests itself a stronger identification of people with their religious roots rather than in increased active church involvement. Special emphasis is put on the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church which is closely linked to the culture, history and politics of the Serbian nation and regards itself its “cultural guardian” (Ramet). In this context, the Orthodox concept of the “canonical territory” is crucial and will be explored in the paper