Intergroup relations and the perception of identity threat: the case study of central bosnia

Abstract: This thesis, aiming to contribute to a better understanding of why Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina fear a Bosniak-dominated state, is a response to development efforts of the international community to democratize Bosnian-Herzegovinian society, generate a shared sense of nationhood among all citizens and speed up its path towards Euro-Atlantic integrations. With the use of conceptual framework, the issue of fear was further abstracted in order to allow for a more meaningful analysis and explanation. Fear in this particular research was thus seen as a set of perceived identity threats that stem from intergroup relations in which one group (Bosniaks) is more dominant. In order to better understand the resistance to state wide integration and the idea of shared state identity that the international community promotes, it was necessary to address the reasons why and in which ways do Croats perceive their own national identity to be threatened by examining everyday situations and experiences of a small group of respondents (nine Croats from central Bosnia). Furthermore, in order to generate better understanding of the issue and allow for a more comprehensive analysis it was important to understand the ways in which Croats from central Bosnia understand and construct their national identity. The research suggests that the perception of identity threat among the respondents predominantly relates to the issues of economic discrimination of Croats in central Bosnia. The research concludes that the prospects of the integrated state and the prospects of shared identity in Bosnia and Herzegovina highly depend on properly managed intergroup relations that would enable ethnic groups to achieve equality in various aspects.