Balkan Idols: Religion and Nationalism in Yugoslav States
Encyclopedia
Balkan Idols: Religion and Nationalism in Yugoslav States (ISBN 0-19-517429-1) is a book by Vjekoslav Perica
. It was first published in 2002 by Oxford University Press
.
The text explores the political roles of religious organizations in the republics of the former Yugoslavia
. The notion that a "clash of civilizations" played a central role in creating aggression is rejected by the author. The book was described as a significant work in several reviews in academic journals.
––Journal of the American Academy of Religion.
"Vjekoslav Perica's masterfully written and extensively researched book fills an important gap in the historical scholarship on twentieth century southeastern Europe."
––Association of Contemporary Church Historians
Vjekoslav Perica
Vjekoslav Perica is a Croatian historian, journalist and writer who specializes in the modern history of religions in the former Yugoslavia....
. It was first published in 2002 by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
.
The text explores the political roles of religious organizations in the republics of the former Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. The notion that a "clash of civilizations" played a central role in creating aggression is rejected by the author. The book was described as a significant work in several reviews in academic journals.
Reviews
"Vjekoslav Perica brilliantly recounts the role of religious narratives, institutions, organizations, and, most importantly, church or religious authorities both in constituting the three dominant identities of Yugoslavs and, in turn, in appropriating those narratives and identities for the destruction of the Yugoslav state and the possibility of civic and civil life in it... Fundamentalism is the enemy of all that makes democracies functional and civility possible, whether in secular, religious, nationalist, patriotic, or ethnic clothing. Perica's contribution to our understanding of this phenomenon is immense."––Journal of the American Academy of Religion.
"Vjekoslav Perica's masterfully written and extensively researched book fills an important gap in the historical scholarship on twentieth century southeastern Europe."
––Association of Contemporary Church Historians