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HGSC : Events and Exhibitions : 2009 Lecture Series : Michael Sells 
Religion and Genocide in Bosnia
Michael Sells (University of Chicago)  Watch the video »
February 18, 2009 USF Tampa Library, Grace Allen Room  Download PDF »
Shortly after declaring its independence from the Former Yugoslavia and gaining international recognition, the new nation of Bosnia came under assault. The genocidal nature of the attacks on civilian population and historical heritage left southern Europe on the edge of wider disintegration and threatened to help bring about the Clash of Civilizations between Islam and the West that some authors predicted was inevitable. In this talk, Michael Sells examines the role of religious narratives, symbols, institutions, and beliefs in motivating and justifying acts of genocide and "ethnic cleansing," the possibility that religion can play a role in the post-conflict healing of Bosnian society, and the suggestion, made by influential Bosnian scholars and peacemakers, that the near destruction and remarkable survival of Bosnia offers both a warning and a hope for the post Cold War World. Sells is the John Henry Barrows Professor of Islamic History and Literature in the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. His book, "The Bridge Betrayed: Religion and Genocide in Bosnia," has been cited by former president Clinton as his favorite Balkans reference. This event was held in the USF Tampa Library's Grace Allen Room, at 4PM on February 18th. Full video of Michael Sells lecture on the Genocide in Bosnia February 18, 2009 - USF Tampa Library Video production: Andrew Huse, Jane Duncan, and Richard Bernardy. |
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