The Historical Context of Nationalism in Yugoslavia: An Interpretation Based on Ernest Gellner’s Theoretical Model

This article aims to demonstrate, through the lens of Ernest Gellner’s modernist theoretical framework on the origins and nature of nations, that the specificity of the Yugoslav conflict stems from the close interrelation between the collapse of communism and the nationalist disintegration of the Federation. The distinct characteristics of Yugoslav nationalisms, which were inherently destructive, coincided with the process of democratization in the early years following the Federation’s dissolution. This convergence unleashed latent cultural and historical tensions among the constituent ethnic groups, intensifying the drive to transform each group into a self-sufficient nation capable of establishing and defending an independent state where it would form the majority. This process has been aptly described by theorists as the “terror of constitutive nations” ,which hindered the emergence of a shared patriotism – particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina after 1995 – and further deepened ethnic divisions.