Bosnia And Herzegovina In Perspective Orientation Guide And Cultural Orientation Geography History Economy Society Military Religion Serbs And Croats Sarajevo Tuzla Zenica Mostar

These two unique guides produced by the Department of Defense provide comprehensive information about all aspects of life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a special emphasis on geography, history, the economy, society, security and military matters, religion, traditions, urban and rural life, ethnic groups, crime, the environment, government, holidays, gender issues and much more.Geography - Country Overview * Area * Geographic Regions and Topographic Features * Northern Lowlands * Central Mountains * Southern Plateaus * Climate * Rivers and Lakes * Major Cities * Sarajevo * Banja Luka * Tuzla * Zenica * Mostar * Environmental Issues * Natural Hazards * Self-Study QuestionsHistory - Introduction * Pre-Slavic Bosnia and Herzegovina * Serbs and Croats * Early Bosnian Autonomy * The Rise and Fall of the Bosnian Kingdom * Religion in Ottoman Bosnia * Decline of the Ottoman Empire * The Austro-Hungarian Era * Ethnic Nationalism * World War I * The First Yugoslavia * World War II * The Second Yugoslavia * Bosnian Independence * The Bosnian War * Dayton Peace Accords * Post-War Bosnia * Self-Study Questions * Economy - Introduction * Agriculture * Industry * Manufacturing * Mineral Resources * Energy Resources * Trade * Service Sector * Tourism * Banking, Finance, and Investment * Transportation * Standard of Living * Looking Forward * Self-Study Questions * Society - Introduction * Ethnic Groups * Languages * Religion * Gender Issues * Arts * Film * Literature * Sports and Recreation * Self-Study Questions * Security - Introduction * U.S.-Bosnian Relations * Relations with Neighboring Countries * Croatia * Montenegro * Serbia * Military * Terrorist Groups and Activities * The Mujahideen Legacy * Local Terrorists * Other Issues Affecting Stability * Consolidation or Secession: Can the Center Hold? * Interethnic Reconciliation and Communication * Self-Study QuestionsProfile - Introduction * Area * Geographic Regions and Topographic Features * Climate * Rivers and Lakes * Sava River * Bosna River * Vrbas River * Neretva River * Major Cities * Sarajevo * Banja Luka * Mostar * Tuzla * History - Early History * Medieval Kingdom (1180-1463) * Ottoman Era (1463-1878) * Austro-Hungarian Era (1878-1918) * Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918-1941) * State of Croatia (1941-1945) * Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945-1992) * Independence * Economy * Trade * Economic Sectors * Government * Administrative Divisions * Structure * Media * Ethnic Groups and Languages * Self-Study Questions * Religion - Introduction * Major Religions * Roman Catholic * Eastern Orthodox * Islam * Religion and Nationalism * Religion and the State * Influence of Religion on Daily Life * Christian Practices * Islamic Practices * Religious Conventions and Gender Roles * Religious Events * Religious Holidays * Christian Holidays * Muslim Holidays * Places of Worship * Christian Place of Worship * Islamic Place of Worship * Traditions - Introduction * Honor and Values * Greetings and Interaction * Hospitality and Gift-Giving * Eating Habits * Food and Drink * Dress Code * Non-Religious Celebrations * Do's and Don'ts - Self-Study Questions * Introduction * Urban Issues * Unemployment * Social Exclusion * Health * Education * Restaurants * Market Place * Transportation * Safety * Crime * Landmines * Rural Life - Introduction * Rural Economy * Land Tenure * Local Administration * Health * Education * Rural Transportation * Landmines * Family Life - Introduction * Typical Household * Roles and Responsibilities in the Family * Marriage, Childbirth, and Divorce * Marriage * Childbirth * Divorce * Social Events * Weddings * Funerals * Naming Conventions

Diversity has always been at the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina's character; even its dual name and physical geography display a particular heterogeneity. The medieval Bosnian state never enjoyed lasting political and ideological unity as its feudal, regional, and religious rifts pulled at the country's seams. Furthermore, because of its location and by a quirk of history, three major world religious and cultural traditions (Catholicism, Islam, and Orthodoxy) became cohabitants in this small Balkan country. Recently, the rebirth of its statehood has been exceptionally bloody and its diversity has been shaken. Even 11 years after the guns were silenced, the country is still under the "benevolent" protection of the international community, whose officials are keeping the state-building process in perpetual suspense, with no final result in sight. The A to Z of Bosnia and Herzegovina sheds light on the uncertain situation Bosnia and Herzegovina faces, while providing essential background information. This is accomplished through a chronology, an introduction, a bibliography, and more than 300 cross-referenced dictionary entries on individual topics spanning Bosnia and Herzegovina's political, economic, religious, and social system along with short biographies on important figures.

The massive intentional destruction of cultural heritage during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War targeting a historically diverse identity provoked global condemnation and became a seminal marker in the discourse on cultural heritage. It prompted an urgent reassessment of how cultural property could be protected in times of conflict and led to a more definitive recognition in international humanitarian law that destruction of a people's cultural heritage is an aspect of genocide. Yet surprisingly little has been published on the subject. This wide-ranging book provides the first comprehensive overview and critical analysis of the destruction of Bosnia-Herzegovina's cultural heritage and its far-reaching impact. Scrutinizing the responses of the international community during the war (including bodies like UNESCO and the Council of Europe), the volume also analyses how, after the conflict ended, external agendas impinged on heritage reconstruction to the detriment of the broader peace process and refugee return. It assesses implementation of Annex 8 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, a unique attempt to address the devastation to Bosnia's cultural heritage, and examines the treatment of war crimes involving cultural property at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). With numerous case studies and plentiful illustrations, this important volume considers questions which have moved to the foreground with the inclusion of cultural heritage preservation in discussions of the right to culture in human rights discourse and as a vital element of post-conflict and development aid.

The first comprehensive study of national identity in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

A numerically small Jewish community helped their ethnically embattled neighbors in a neutral, humanitarian way to survive the longest modern siege, Sarajevo, in the early 1990s.

Mitja Velikonja has written a comprehensive survey that examines how religion has interacted with other aspects of Bosnia-Herzegovina's history. Velikonja sees the former Ottoman borderland as a distinct cultural and religious entity where three major faiths -- Islam, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy -- managed to coexist in relative peace. It is only during the past century that competing nationalisms have led to persecution, ethnic cleansing, and mass murder. Emphasizing the importance of religion to nationalism as a symbol of collective identity that strengthens national identity, Velikonja notes that religious groups have a tendency to become isolated from one another. He believes Bosnia-Herzegovina was unique in its sarlikost, or diversity, because while religion defined ethnic communities there and kept them separate, it did not create a culture of intolerance. Rather than suppressing one another, the region's ethno-religious groups learned to cooperate and mediate their differences -- useful behavior in an area that served as buffer between East and West for most of its history. Velikonja believes that Bosnians went beyond tolerance to embrace synthetic, eclectic religious norms, with each religious group often borrowing customs and rituals from its rivals. Rather than the extreme orthodoxy evident elsewhere in Europe, Bosnia became the home of heterodoxy. Sadly, nationalism changed all that, and the area became the scene of systematic persecution, forced conversion, and mass slaughter. Velikonja considers the misfortunes suffered by the Bosnians during the 1990s as largely the result of actions by their neighbors and local militants and inaction by the international community.But he also sees the tragedy that unfolded as the result of the exploitation of ethno-religious differences and myths by Serbian chauvinists and Croatian nationalists. Despite the tragedy that overwhelmed Bosnia-Herzegovina