The History and Collapse of the Illusion of Equality: Bosnia and the Bosniaks in Socialist Yugoslavia”

Abstract

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a federal state composed of the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska, the Federation entity with a Bosniak majority, and the Brčko District with an undetermined status. This study focuses on Bosnia and Herzegovina, examining the ethnic policies implemented in Bosnia during the socialist Yugoslav period and the formation and development of Bosniak nationalism. By analyzing Tito‘s “Brotherhood and Unity” policy and its historical narrative strategies, this paper argues that while Yugoslavia sought to suppress nationalism, it simultaneously institutionalized Bosniak ethnic identity through political and cultural means. The policy shift of the 1960s and 1970s first granted Bosniaks official ethnic status while simultaneously weakening supra-ethnic Yugoslav identity. With the collapse of the socialist system and the resurgence of nationalism, Bosnian society once again descended into division and conflict. Today‘s “Yugoslav nostalgia” reflects a collective longing for the ideals of multi-ethnic coexistence and social equality—ideals once embodied by the Yugoslav state system.