Bosnia Ethnic Groups

Bosnia: Ethnic Groups

Introduction

Bosnia is a country that is rich in different cultures, races, and ethnicities. Being so diverse can mean that some of these different races or cultures will not get along and therefore creating prejudice and discrimination. Some examples of different cultures in Bosnia are the Serb, Croats, and the Muslims. When one is looking to visit a country, he or she should study the various cultures; have a clear differentiation between race and ethnicity, any kind of culture, race, or ethnic discrimination, and how discrimination has affect the live of those whom are discriminated against.

The saliency of ethnicity and ethnic identity is influenced by contextual circumstances. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, due to the current ethno-political situation, ethnicity and ethnic identity most likely are important aspects of adolescents' lives. The main purpose of this study is to describe a group of young Mostarians in relation to ethnic identity and reconciliation. Focus is on the participants' perspectives on these subjects and the meanings they attribute to the concepts. A total of 89 young Mostarians are included in the study. A third of the participants are members of a local peace- and reconciliation-building organization, Koraci Nade. Results show that ethnic identity is highly salient for the group. While participants demonstrate strong emotional attachment to their ethnic group, exploration of ethnic identity is less reported. With regard to reconciliation, the participants perceive it as very desirable and show a personal and integrated relation to the concept. However, their definitions of the concept are vague as to what constitutes the process of reconciliation. Although of great importance to the members, participation in the peace-building organization was not found to enhance either ethnic identity or cross-ethnic friendships.

Literature Review: Bosnia three Major Ethnic Groups

Th literature review reveals the three major Ethnic Groups of Bosnia are Croats, Serbs and Bosniacs. Due to its ethnic mixture the population of the former republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina has suffered a lot from the war between 1992 and 1995. The incidents of the conflict did not leave the ethnic composition of the post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina unaffected: During the first four years of peace a large-scale return took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina by both, refugees and internally displaced persons, preferably to areas where their own kind constitute a majority. The Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) lay a high emphasis on the return of refugees and internally displaced persons to the places where they were living before the war. The Parties shall provide all possible assistance to refugees and displaced persons and work to facilitate their voluntary return in a peaceful, orderly and phased manner. In contrast to this ambitious plan the nationalist agenda of various Bosnian parties failed to create a climate for reintegration and rather prevented especially the return of minorities.

One should always study the various cultures of a country before visiting that country. In this case, one would want to find out everything about Bosnia's many cultures.

Three of these cultures one would need to study ...