Religion in no man’s land: An interdisciplinary research into the role of religious leaders in peacebuilding processes, the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina

This project proposes an analysis of the role played by religion and religious leaders in the processes of conflict transformation, with a special focus on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Religion is frequently criticized as one of the principal sources of violent conflicts. However, recent studies on transitional justice and conflict resolution emphasize the importance of religion for achieving and maintaining peace. This project questions the scope and limits of religious traditions as potential sources of pro-social values that can be effective in situations where traditional political mechanisms fail to bring change. Special emphasis is put on the role of Catholic, Muslim and Orthodox religious leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who are the major moral authorities and opinion makers in their respective communities. Therefore, the aim of this research is to discover how aforementioned religious leaders perceive conflicts, their resolution, and the role of religion in those processes. Those findings can serve as valuable links between theory and practice of religiously inspired peace-actions. The project combines theological, sociological and political perspectives, which will be used as a mutual guidance and corrective. The research will be developed through a set of in-depth interviews which will be transcribed, analyzed, and critically evaluated.