A Look into the BiH's Identity Struggle Through the Lens of Referendum Discourse

Mgr. Nađa Beglerović, M.Ed.

Doctoral thesis

Abstract:

Bosnia and Herzegovina, a young consociational democracy and a highly fragmented country, faces enormous social, political, and economic challenges, including ethnic divisions that contribute to its identity struggle. The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth and multi-faceted evaluation of the role and usage of referendums in Republika Srpska (RS), one of two entities in BiH. The proposed and held referendums in Republika Srpska help us understand how referendums fit in BiH's historical, political, and social context. The study questions the referendum's use, mainly their application and purpose. It seeks to uncover whether they are used to allow BiH's citizens to practice their democratic right to decide on various matters or whether referendums have a different, more ominous meaning considering BiH's complex past. Moreover, the study contributes to the ongoing debate on referendums' role, use, and impact in divided societies. The research represents a single case study, focusing on the referendum discourse in Republika Srpska. It consists of mixed-methods content analysis. It applies the Discourse Historical Analysis (DHA) and a deductive framing method by using the Semetko and Valkenburg's (2000) generic frames and Guo’s (2008) frames to analyze newspaper articles. Considering BiH's unique situation and the presence of international community, I added another frame: international support. The selected timeline for the study (December 30, 2014-December 30, 2020) was meant to provide necessary data preceding and following the 2016 RS Day Referendum and pertaining to the celebration of the RS Day. The data set includes 1,010 newspaper articles from Glas Srpske (Voice of Srpska), one of its main daily newspapers in RS. The study also includes a content analysis of referendum campaign videos, speeches, and interviews with Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of BiH’s tripartite presidency and the main proponent of referendums. Thus, the study also examines the role of the political elite and mass media in shaping the referendum discourse and potentially affecting the BiH’s identity. The analysis confirmed the presence of conflict and blame placed between ethnic groups regarding the RS Day referendum. Referendums need to be used in a way to supplement, not undermine, representative democracy. BiH has to specify the range of topics open to referendum as well those off-limit. For BiH to become a true consociational democracy, BiH needs to focus on reconciliation and cooperation among ethnic groups, which can also lead to the creation of BiH's national identity.

Abstract:

Bosnia and Herzegovina, a young consociational democracy and a highly fragmented country, faces enormous social, political, and economic challenges, including ethnic divisions that contribute to its identity struggle. The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth and multi-faceted evaluation of the role and usage of referendums in Republika Srpska (RS), one of two entities in BiH. The proposed and held referendums in Republika Srpska help us understand how referendums fit in BiH's historical, political, and social context. The study questions the referendum's use, mainly their application and purpose. It seeks to uncover whether they are used to allow BiH's citizens to practice their democratic right to decide on various matters or whether referendums have a different, more ominous meaning considering BiH's complex past. Moreover, the study contributes to the ongoing debate on referendums' role, use, and impact in divided societies. The research represents a single case study, focusing on the referendum discourse in Republika Srpska. It consists of mixed-methods content analysis. It applies the Discourse Historical Analysis (DHA) and a deductive framing method by using the Semetko and Valkenburg's (2000) generic frames and Guo’s (2008) frames to analyze newspaper articles. Considering BiH's unique situation and the presence of international community, I added another frame: international support. The selected timeline for the study (December 30, 2014-December 30, 2020) was meant to provide necessary data preceding and following the 2016 RS Day Referendum and pertaining to the celebration of the RS Day. The data set includes 1,010 newspaper articles from Glas Srpske (Voice of Srpska), one of its main daily newspapers in RS. The study also includes a content analysis of referendum campaign videos, speeches, and interviews with Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of BiH’s tripartite presidency and the main proponent of referendums. Thus, the study also examines the role of the political elite and mass media in shaping the referendum discourse and potentially affecting the BiH’s identity. The analysis confirmed the presence of conflict and blame placed between ethnic groups regarding the RS Day referendum. Referendums need to be used in a way to supplement, not undermine, representative democracy. BiH has to specify the range of topics open to referendum as well those off-limit. For BiH to become a true consociational democracy, BiH needs to focus on reconciliation and cooperation among ethnic groups, which can also lead to the creation of BiH's national identity.

Keywords

Referendums, Direct Democracy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, Day of Republika Srpska, The RS Day Referendum, Constitutional Court of BiH, ethnic identity, national identity, NATO, agenda-setting

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 20. 12. 2021

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 11. 2. 2022
• Supervisor: prof. PhDr. Vít Hloušek, Ph.D.
• Reader: doc. PhDr. Věra Stojarová, Ph.D., Mgr. Vladimir Dordevic, Ph.D.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Social Studies

Doctoral programme / field:
International Relations and European Politics / International Relations and European Politics