OSOBENOSTI MULTIKULTURALIZMA BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE U POSTDEJTONSKOM PERIODU
THE SPECIFIC FEATURES OF MULTICULTURALISM IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA IN THE POST-DAYTON PERIOD

Author(s): Zarije Seizović, Mirza Smajić
Subject(s): Politics, Inter-Ethnic Relations
Published by: Институт друштвених наука
Keywords: Bosnia and Herzegovina; Dayton Peace Accords; political elite; multiculturalism; unconsolidated democracy
Summary/Abstract: Authors’ starting point is that in the post-Dayton state building period in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one may spot specific social and political s features being generated by the constitutional settlement set up by the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the end of the day, such surroundings generate antagonistic counter- norms and counter-polarities in the public and political sphere and discourse reflecting upon elements, factors and democratization processes as well as upon implementation of democratic principles and procedures in the Bosnian day-to-day life. Final result of such processes had created ethno-political, ethno-public and any other ethno-affiliated area creating framework for maintenance of political and social status quo as well as presenting a fertile ground for widespread and systematic discrimination and violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of specific social groups. In this context, authors assert premise that ruling political elites, using ethno-mechanisms for seizing and maintaining power positions, design delusion that it is impossible to build out a modern Bosnian-Herzegovinian identity. Elites evaluate daily life by means of specifi c counter-polarities and “our” and “their” matrixes, generating resentments toward other and different. Amid such environment, social reality does not contain civic cultural characteristics i.e. multiculturalism in its original meanings, but is being marked by existence of collective and individual frustrations that form ground for political, social, economic, cultural and any other manipulation of broad population having diverse ethno-religious affiliation and also creating state of absence of conflict rather than sustainable peace.

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