Rape as Mathod of Ethnic Conflict

Rape as a Method of Ethnic Cleansing: The Case of the Bosnian Muslims

General Outline

  • Introduction
    • Introduce the Yugoslav Ethnic Conflict
      • Different nations
      • Ethnic tensions
      • Serb-Led Yugoslav government and its main objectives to enlarge the Serb-enhabited regions within the Balkans
  • Theoretical Framework of Rape as a tool for ethnic cleansing
    • Use the case of Rwanda as the main framework
  • Different Sections
    • Rape was employed for Three main reasons
      • Due to the rise of exclusive nationalist ideologies
      • Because of Mixed Population
      • Reality needs to match ideology
    • Exclusive Nationalist ideologies
      • The need to scapegoat Bosnian Muslims for Yugoslavia’s social ills
        • The “us” vs “them” of Serb-Bosnians and the Muslim Bosnians
      • The rise of Serb-Rebel group in Bosnia and Herzegovina
      • The Serb-led Yugoslav government needing to get Bosnia and Herzegovina under Serbs
      • The Serb-Dominated areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina aiming to join greater Serbia
    • Mixed Population
      • The diversity of ethnic groups within Bosnia and Herzegovina and greater Yugoslavia
      • The internal need to scapegoat Bosnian Muslims for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s social ills
    • Change reality to match ideology
      • Rape as a tool
        • Force Bosnian Muslims to leave through ethnic cleansing or genecide
          • Create less diverse population–hegemonic society of just one ethnic group
        •  Make Bosnian Muslims become us through the birth of Serb children
  • Results
    • Findings of the Different Sections
    • Any data collected within the Different Sections?
  • Discussion
    • Discussion of the findings
      • H1: Rape employed on the bodies of an imagined enemy in order to rid Muslim Bosnians from the Balkans region (force them to leave) or perhaps the world (ethnic cleansing)
      • H2: The usage of rape as a weapon of war is due to existing cultural
      • H3: The coping of victims of rape in the Bosnian Muslim community brought about variety of angles and can be looked through two different perspectives: the victims prospectives and the mainstream society.

Possible Research Design I have drafted for this project:

                                                            Research Design

General TopicRape in Civil War
Research QuestionHow was rape used as weapon for the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims in former Yugoslavia and what methods were employed in the process?
Dependent VariableUsage of Rape in as a method of Ethnic cleansing
CaseEmployment of Rape as a Method of Ethnic Cleansing in former Yugoslavia
Independent VariablesWomen’s Body as a representative of a NationExisting border disputes in relation to Nationalism born from different actorsSexual violence in relations to culture before war, during conflict, and post conflict
HypothesisH1: Rape employed on the bodies of an imagined enemy in order to rid Muslim Bosnians from the Balkans or perhabs the worldH2: The usage of rape as a weapon of war is due to existing cultural The coping of victims of rape in the Bosnian Muslim community brought about variety of angles and can be looked through two different perspectives: the victims prospectives and the mainstream society.
Operationalization of VariablesDependent Variable Usage of Rape as a method of Ethnic CleansingMeasurement 1: Ethnic conflict between Serbs and Bosnian MuslimsMeasurement 2: The creation of rape camps and systemic sexual violence towards Bosnian Muslim Women by the Serb-led Yugoslav governmentMeasurement 3: Rape counts associated with ethnic cleansing innitiatives by the Serbs Independent Variables Women’s Body as a representative of a NationMeasurement 1: A look at literature works available on the body of women and the nationMeasurement 2: Reports on the employment of rape as a way to end Bosnian Muslim populationMeasurement: impregnation of Muslim Bosnian women by the numbersExisting border disputes in relation to the need for one ethnic group to exile another from the regionMeasurement 1: The different border disputes (ie Serbs vs Bosniaks; Serbs vs Croats, etc)Measurement 2: The need for a hegemonic national identityNationalism born from different actorsMeasurement 1: Examination of the need for a hegemonic national identityMeasurement 2: The born of a nation through womanhoodSexual violence in relations to culture before war, during conflict, and post conflictMeasurement 1: Assessment of domestic violence before, during, and post warMeasurement 2: Sexual violence from the perspective of the Muslim Bosnian community and the perpetrators Gender relations and cultural perspective as a driving force for rape against Muslim Bosnian women

References to be Used

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