Religious configuration of the “other” in the contemporary Balkan societies (cultural mechanisms and perspectives)
The paper argues that the Balkans are not a single-type cultural- political and conflictogenic space where religions are the basic factor, but a heterogeneous zone made up of specific states, in each of which religion or religions have a specific positive cultural status and/or conflict pot...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institute of Ethnography, SASA, Belgrade
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Glasnik Etnografskog Instituta SANU |
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| Online Access: | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-0861/2015/0350-08611502255B.pdf |
| Summary: | The paper argues that the Balkans are not a single-type cultural- political
and conflictogenic space where religions are the basic factor, but a
heterogeneous zone made up of specific states, in each of which religion or
religions have a specific positive cultural status and/or conflict potential
(persistently or in certain period). The qualitative changes that have taken
place in Christianity as a faith and an institution, both in the West and
East (including the Balkans) during the second half of the 20th century have
shown that Christianity has become more dependent on and responsive to the
fundamental cultural specificity of each particular society in which it
exists. The thesis is emphasized that in the conflictual configuration of
“Other” in the Balkans (of ethnic, nationalist, cultural type) religion is
not a pro-active factor but functions in interacting with a number of other
factors (the Weberian idea of religious “strands”), coming to the fore in
certain situations. |
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| ISSN: | 0350-0861 2334-8259 |