On the Balkan Identity (a non-sequitir)

The second attribute I need to address, beyond identifying one's location and place (or displacement), is the subject of ethnicity, which is loosely used as one in the same of one’s ancestral origins.

Here in the Republic of Serbska, much to the ire of the purist, one’s identity is involved, leaning on hyphenations. Many Serbian immigrants who lived all over Yugoslavia do not acknowledge the breaking up of the Republic, and subsequent independent statehoods, so they hold on to being Serbian more than anything else. Therefore, a Balkan identity never did exist.






















This defiance of statehood is particularly strong in Bosnia, where you have a mixed population. Here in the Republic of Serpska, is the haven and possibly the only place for Bosnian-Serbs. Additionally, a minority of Croatian-Serbs live here and in the Hercegovina region of the Federation, of whom were refugees of the war in Croatia. What these two Serbian immigrant populations have in common is their faith, which hails from the Orthodox Church that thrived in the Kingdom of Serbia and the Byzantine Era under the patriarch of Constantinople.

Since the Ottomans took over in the 14th Century, the Orthodox began its many wars including the most notable one versus the Turks in The Field of Kosovo, the first Balkan War in 1912, then in WWI against Austro-Hungarian rule, and WWII against German occupation. The battles heretofor remain to be fought for the Kingdom of Heaven, which is boundless.

In the words of Serbian Patriarch Danilo III, (circa 1393): 'It is better to choose "death with honor and sacrifice, than life in shame..."

So with this deeply rooted history in mind, Serbians of every stripe are “Serb Orthodox,” and that is the little box they would check at the poll. Therefore, the only population that identifies as "Bosnian" are Muslims, otherwise knowns as Bosniaks. And to be frank, I would also include the humble slice of liberal-leaning people that declare themselves Bosnian, though this minority is so small that you couldn't see it on a poll no less a petri dish. Much to the chagrin of the international community including the European Commission, NATO, the UN and so forth…

Serbian blood is thick.