The University of South Florida Holocaust & Genocide Studies Center hosted a lecture by Michael Sells(PhD), the John Henry Barrows Professor of Islamic History and Literature in the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. His book, “The Bridge Betrayed: Religion and Genocide in Bosnia,” has been cited by former president Clinton as his favorite Balkans reference. The event was held earlier this year at the USF Tampa Library.
In this talk, Michael Sells examines the role of religious narratives, symbols, institutions, and beliefs in motivating and justifying acts of genocide and “ethnic cleansing,” the possibility that religion can play a role in the post-conflict healing of Bosnian society, and the suggestion, made by influential Bosnian scholars and peacemakers, that the near destruction and remarkable survival of Bosnia offers both a warning and a hope for the post Cold War World.
Full video of Michael Sells lecture on Genocide in Bosnia (February 18, 2009) – USF Tampa Library
Video production: Andrew Huse, Jane Duncan, and Richard Bernardy.