In the 1990s, Bosnia and Herzegovina became affected by a violence Europe had not experienced since World War II. The explanations for this have to a large extent emphasised the role of ideology and political manipulation, but also what has been portrayed as a particularly violence-prone "Balkan Culture". To a large extent, the focus has rested on the micro level, and because of this we still have limited knowledge about the mechanisms of violence in local communities. The project aims at investigating how the violence was organised and carried out in small towns and villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and uses theoretical perspectives in "genocide studies", theories on nationalism, and theories on social psychology as points of departure. An important task will be to test a new model of the three dimensions of mass violence (intent, systematics, and the magnitude of destruction), and emphasis will be placed on the specific historical, cultural, and social context of the region. The material will include: minutes from the proceedings at the Hague tribunal; reports that have been gathered by governmental organisations and NGOs; official documents; memoirs; and newspaper articles. The method will include: source criticism; qualitative content analysis; and secondary analysis of statistics. The "from below" perspective will help in providing new and relevant information on the Bosnian war, but the project is also expected to result in a significant contribution to the field of "genocide studies".