Fourteenth International Conference on Unity and Plurality in Europe (ICUPE 14)

Bosnian pluralism and European integration: Challenges and Opportunities

Sunday, July 28th, 2019
Mostar Cultural Centre (Ul. Rade Bitange 13),
To start at 20.00

International Forum Bosnia and the Museum of Herzegovina in Mostar are pleased to announce the Fourteenth International Conference on Unity and Plurality in Europe (ICUPE 14). The programme will include a public debate on The Challenges and Opportunities of Bosnian Pluralism and European Integration to take place on Sunday, July 28th, at the Mostar Cultural Centre (Ul. Rade Bitange 13), beginning at 20:00.

The Bosnian question has been rendered taboo by various forms of nationalism, fundamentalism and fascism. This is because it is fundamental to the pursuit of personal freedom, individual dignity, and the right to difference under a democratically-legitimated legal order in Bosnia, all of which have been under constant attack, as decades of ideological and administrative abuse have left the people of Bosnia in a state of self-induced anaesthesia. The panel will include Mile Babić (Sarajevo), Paul Ballanfat (Istanbul), Sonja Biserko (Belgrade), Nerin Dizdar (Sarajevo), Gareth Jones (Hong Kong), Senadin Lavić (Sarajevo), Rusmir Mahmutćehajić (Sarajevo) and Krsto Mijanović (Sarajevo). The most recent volume of the Forum Bosnae journal, Recollections of and selected writings by Salih Bura, will be presented by the editor, Kadrija Hodžić.

Mile Babić is a Bosnian philosopher and a theologian. His work considers key issues of freedom from a range of philosophical and theological perspectives.

Paul Ballanfat is a leading international expert in Muslim intellectual heritage in a plural world. His many works present the fruits of his research into neglected areas of traditional philosophy and its significance under conditions of modernity.

Sonja Biserko is a leading advocate for human rights and emancipation from the tyranny of the nationalism, fundamentalism and fascism fostered by the wars in Southeast Europe. She has written widely on the dissolution of Yugoslavia and it impact on Bosnia.

Nerin Dizdar is a political analyst and expert on Bosnian written heritage. He is the author of The Politics of Cultural Racism (2014).

Rasim Gačanović is an expert on energy and power systems, urban development and the diversification of energy sources.

Kadrija Hodžić is an expert on political economy, transitional processes in post-communist countries, and sustainable development.

Gareth Jones is a British philosopher and theologian. His work deals with issues of religious plurality and the interpretation of traditional heritage.

Senadin Lavić is a Bosnian philosopher and sociologist. His academic interests include social pluralism and its representation in sociological and philosophical discourse, with a focus on the ideological denial of Bosnian plurality.

Rusmir Mahmutćehajić is a Bosnian philosopher and writer. His works deal with issues of philosophy of religion and political philosophy.

Krsto Mijanović is a Bosnian intellectual. In addition to his academic speciality (the relations of industry and ecology), he is an expert on Serbian Orthodoxy as a component of Bosnian social pluralism.


Rasim Gačanović will chair the discussion.



The Friends of IFB
The work of International Forum Bosnia is supported by a wide range of organizations and individuals.
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