Branko Sekulic makes the rather opaque interweaving of political, social, and religious aspects in the post-Yugoslav region clear and plausible for outsiders. Above all, however, this interweaving is recognized as exemplary: firstly for other ethno-religious conflicts, which may increase in the future, and then above all for newly emerging political theologies, for newly emerging variants of traditional liberation theology.

Christian Albrecht, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

Branko Sekulic’s first book articulated the unequivocal theological rejection of ethno-religious identities on the European peripheries; with his second book, he takes upon himself a task that is both more urgent and more difficult—to develop a constructive trajectory for tackling ethnoreligiosity and ethnoclericalism as they legitimize the exclusion and violence. Sekulic’s response is “the theology of the ethnocultural empathetic turn,” which affirms the universal humanist thrust of Christianity while embedding it in concrete contexts and concrete actors. His book is a powerful reminder why our populist moment requires that we move beyond merely critical and toward constructive and contextualized theological discourses: only such discourses, Sekulic argues, can defeat the dangers of contemporary nativist religio-nationalisms.

Slavica Jakelic, Richard Baepler Distinguished Professor, The Honors College of Valparaiso University and author of Collectivistic Religions

In his original and thought-provoking book, Sekulic examines how church structures sacralize ethnonational agendas, transforming them into quasi-religions that fuel interethnic conflicts, but he also shows how academically informed theology can counter this ideology by providing a way out. This work offers a vision of hope, grounded in scriptural inspiration, with a clear message: no society is condemned to endlessly repeating patterns of inter-group animosity.

John Connelly, Sidney Hellman Ehrman Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley