Freedom and Participation in a Multireligious Colony. On the Ambivalences of the Rule of Law in Habsburg Bosnia

Abstract

This contribution examines the interplay between participation and freedom rights in Habsburg-administered Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1878 to 1918. While establishing an efficient bureaucracy and undertaking a mission civilisatrice, the Habsburg Empire initially limited Bosnian participation in secular public and political affairs. This was partly mitigated by relatively extensive participation rights in religious administration, particularly among Orthodox Christians and Muslims, who obtained state-recognized autonomous religious statutes in 1905 and 1909 respectively. However, this participation in religious and local governance affairs was often restricted by government oversight and veto. The 1910 Landesstatut introduced a provincial parliament, but ongoing tensions and the suspension of civil liberties during the Balkan Wars hampered its effectiveness. The paper analyses the negotiation processes, legal practices, and strategic use of religious and historical arguments employed by Bosnian elites to secure greater participation and freedom.