“Feudaliziranje” bosanskohercegovačkog društva i njegovo odražavanje na krizu identiteta
The “feudalization” of society in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its impact on the crisis of identity

Summary/Abstract: We are witnessing the “feudalization” of society in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is causing an identity crisis within the country. The result is that ethnopolitics have been practised for the past two decades. Though the point of departure and goals of its actors differ, they affect everyone as they dismantle the multilateral nature of society in Bosnia and Herzegovina and give rise to the identity crisis. Everything is co-opted, from territory through natural resources and other material assets to culture and tradition, which have been laid down here over the centuries with identifiable straightforwardness. Though the crisis of identity within the society of Bosnia and Herzegovina is obvious, manifesting itself in attitudes towards oneself, others, the state, historical experience and so on, studies reveal that there is still a far greater willingness for co-existence among ordinary people, including schoolchildren, than political actors claim. At present, extreme views, i.e. complete willingness or unwillingness for co-existence and sharing common values, a preference for generation-based rather than ethnic solidarity, and so on, range between 10 and 20 percent of respondents. This means that more than 50 percent fall within these two extremes. This is an opportunity for both sides. But it should be borne in mind that the gap between ethnic communities will widen if the current ethnopolitics continue to dominate, particularly in education, which this paper also addresses.

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