Notification of public defence with Hamdija Begovic

Hamdija Begovic presents his thesis “Between Civic and Ethnic: The Party of Democratic Action and the Symbolic Struggle for a Bosnian-Herzegovinian State”.

Doctoral thesis: “Between Civic and Ethnic: The Party of Democratic Action and the Symbolic Struggle for a Bosnian-Herzegovinian State External link, opens in new window.”
Subject: Sociology
Research area: Politics, Economy and the Organisation of Society
Research school: The Baltic and East European Graduate School (BEEGS)
Language: English

Abstract

This thesis examines the persistent political fragmentation of post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina, focusing on the role of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the strategies of Bosniac political actors from the 1995 Dayton Agreement to the 2022 elections. Situated within the complex legacy of the Ottoman millet system and post-communist state-building, the study investigates how SDA activists conceptualise the relationship between Bosniac national identity and the Bosnian-Herzegovinian state amidst ethnic rivalries and external influences. Employing Pierre Bourdieu’s political field theory, adapted to account for the political idiosyncrasies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the research addresses the central question: How have the political strategies and interactions of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), as a key Bosniac political actor, with other influential political actors, shaped Bosnia and Herzegovina’s persistent status as a disintegrated post-war nation-state from 1995 to 2022? Through qualitative fieldwork, including interviews and participant observation with current and former SDA activists, the study reveals how Bosniacs navigate a contested political landscape marked by alliances with Western powers (as the meta-power) and tensions with Serb and Croat counterparts (as the meta-analysts). The findings highlight a patron–client dynamic with external actors, internal debates over civic versus ethnic nationalism and the enduring impact of historical communal structures on modern statehood.

By offering new empirical insights into the SDA’s activist perspectives and a sociological framework for understanding fragmented states, this thesis contributes to the scholarship on post-Ottoman nation-building and political field theory, illuminating broader patterns of political disintegration in diverse societies.

Public defence

The public defence with Hamdija Begovic takes place on November 26 at Södertörn University.