Institutional Context and Generational Divisions among Bosniaks

The study analyses generational divisions in value orientations and political preferences among Bosniaks in three post-Yugoslav states (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro). The aim is to determine whether contextual factors (institutional status and ethnopolitical mobilisation) shape the strength and manifestation of generational differences. Using a sample of 800 respondents and applying the PAPI method in 2022, the analysis tests hypotheses on the effects of formative experiences (the SFRY generation, the transitional generation, and the post-war generation) on religiosity, authoritarian traditionalism, economic orientations, and political preferences. The results indicate that contextual factors exert a stronger influence than generational affiliation itself. The country accounts for 7.7% of the variance in religiosity, whereas generation explains 3.4%. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosniaks display the most pronounced generational divisions, alongside a paradox in which the post-war generation is the most religious while simultaneously favouring civic-secular parties. In Serbia, the analysis identifies generational homogeneity, neutralised by reactive ethnicity. Montenegro represents the most complex constellation, where generational divisions overlap with an identity-nomination cleavage (Bosniak versus Muslim). The findings confirm Mannheim’s theory of formative experiences in Montenegro, partially support it in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and challenge it in Serbia, demonstrating that institutional context substantially shapes generational effects.