Bosniak-Serb Relations from 1831 until the WWII during the Growth and Development of the Orthodox Church: Institutionalism as a Religio-Political Concept of Changing Cultural Patterns and Power Relations

This paper traces the development of the Orthodox Church institutions in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina during the De-Ottomanization process of Southeastern Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It also focuses on the responses from the institutions and intellectuals of the Muslim population to events that followed the Belgrade Metropolitanate gaining autonomy in 1831. In addition the paper discusses the Orthodoxy’s increasing influence and the declining influence of Islam on social trends and the formation of political ideas and approaches. The “Eastern question” remains significant in the Balkans, which means that these relations have their geopolitical implications. Given the holistic approach, attention is given to this relationship in the wider Balkan and even global context, due to clear connections in social movements during the De-Ottomanization of the Balkans, beyond Bosniak-Serb relations. The analysis also includes the consequences of certain religious and popular teachings within these universal missions on the ideological and cultural conflicts.