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Imagining Local Communities in Multiethnic Areas in Croatia : Roots of Conflict and Roots of Peace

This paper is essentially the report on the research carried out within the framework of the research project titled "Social Integration and Collective Identities in Multiethnic Areas in Croatia". The paper builds on the premise of the constructivist theory, according to which the ethnicity and ethnic identities are not in straightforwardly connected with the social groups (Brubaker). Viewed from the perspective of the events taking place in 1990s, the research differentiates between two basic types of multiethnic areas in Croatia: (a) the areas in which the conflicts escalated to the level of disintegration of different forms of community life – the “ conflict areas” ; and (b) the areas in which radical conflicts were avoided and the multiethnic cohabitation was to a large extent maintained – the “ peace areas” . A survey research, whose results are presented in this paper, was conducted during October 2008 in the local communities matching the description of the “ conflict areas” , being Gospić, Plaški and Pakrac, and of the “ peace areas” , being Rovinj, Vrbovsko and Daruvar. Apart to this, some qualitative methods of data collecting have been used. Intention underlying this paper is to provide an answer to several essential questions concerning the processes of identification and maintaining group boundaries and ethnic distance in multiethnic areas. On the basis of the previous research, it may be assumed that these processes are affected by events occurring in close and more distant past, as well as by the interplay between the existing system factors and the key players determining the state of peace or conflict.

ethnic conflict, ethnic peace, collective identities, local communities

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