The last Yugoslavs: ethnic diversity, national identity and civil war

Nation-building is often proposed as a device for integration and conflict reduction in ethnically divided societies. This paper analyses the role of interethnic contact in the process of nation formation within the unique historical setting of the multi-ethnic Yugoslavia. Using historical border changes as a proxy for exogenous population movements that influenced ethnic diversity, I find that interethnic contact stimulated the formation of the Yugoslav national identity. In addition, aligned with the notion that nation formation can reduce the incidence of ethnic conflict, I find that areas with more self-declared Yugoslavs experienced a lower intensity of conflict during the Bosnian War of 1992-1995.