Populism and Religion in the Western Balkans: The Role of the Serbian Orthodox Church (original) (raw)

In a growing literature concerning populism as a historical, political and social phenomenon, the intertwining between religion and populism merits greater attention. In this paper, the complex link between religion and populism is assessed not only in the framework of religious-political revival in the Western Balkans, but also within the sociological debate on desecularization as a broader social phenomenon. Consequently, the author considers three cases of religious populism: Serbia, Montenegro and Republika Srpska. In the 21st century Serbia, the distinction between the church and the state has been blurred. Thus, a broader re-assessment of the political, social and cultural role of the church took place. In their joint ‘protection of culture’, the church and the state began to participate in reshaping the classical modernization concept by accommodating it to the local, national and particular mold. In Montenegro, the events leading to the elections of 2020 represented an example of religious populism blended with neo-traditionalism. The SOC was a crucial interpretive resource in the social-political movement of 2019-2020, providing, thus, a basic ideological structure for political action. Finally, in Republika Srpska, the tight connection and cooperation between the SOC and Bosnian Serb political leadership, established during the war, has continued throughout the early 21st century. The nationalist religious discourse and the advancement of an ethnocentric political theology that were visible during the war, have also been utilized as a populist mechanism in the hands of the current political elite.