Original scientific paper
Croats in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Relationship between Coexistence and Forgiveness, and Individual Religiosity and Social-political Attitudes
Antonio Dragun
Abstract
This article presents the results of the research, conducted by end of the year 1999, among Croats in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly west areas of Federation). The representative sample consists of 1002 adults. On the basis of answers out of questionnaire, it is examined how their relation with members of other constitutive nations (Serbs and Bosnians), correlates with some individual characteristics, including social-political attitudes. The results show great ethnic distance toward two nations, but it is more expressed toward Bosnians than Serbs. As expected, acceptance of coexistence is negatively correlated with ethnocentricity, national identity, religiosity and authoritarian attitudes, while it is positively correlated with assessments of importance of democracy in the country, with personal education level, and the size of the resident place. Measures of ethnic relation are weakly associated to individual war experience, but unexpectedly, the number of positive correlations is higher than number of negative ones. Forgiveness to “those who were doing violence and killings to our compatriots” is more supported by women, by more religious (very weak correlation) and less ethnocentric participants, more satisfied by general situation in country, and by those who are less convicted that some democracy aspects are important for the development of the country and that Christians and Muslims believe in same God. Among participants, relation to coexistence is discordant to the attitude to forgiveness.
Keywords
ETHNIC DISTANCE; FORGIVENESS; NATIONAL IDENTITY; RELIGION; WAR; CONFLICTS; BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Hrčak ID:
13216
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2006.
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