Moving beyond personal change: Using dialogue in ethnically divided communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Published date: 01 September 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21239
• Date: 01 September 2019

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Moving beyond personal change: Using dialogue in

ethnically divided communities in Bosnia and

Herzegovina

Eva Šerá Komlossyová

Department of Development and Environmental

Studies, Faculty of Science, Palacký University

Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

Correspondence

Eva Šerá Komlossyová, Department of

Development and Environmental Studies, Faculty

of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, 17.

listopadu 12, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic.

Email: eva.serakomlossyova@upol.cz

Dialogue has proved to be an effective tool in changing peo-

ple's perceptions and attitudes. The article adds to the discus-

sion about the potential of dialogue to contribute to more

than only personal change. It analyzes the dialogue approach

implemented by the Nansen Dialogue Centre Sarajevo, a

nongovernmental organization working in ethnically divided

communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the aim of

rebuilding a functional society. The analysis focuses on the

effectiveness of dialogue in influencing broader sociopoliti-

cal changes. The article concludes that the Centre has cre-

ated a viable model that contributes to the de-ethnicizing of

everyday problems local communities face.

1|INTRODUCTION

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has been caught in a political crisis, amid ethnic mistrust, and eco-

nomic stagnation over the last several years. Despite international efforts after the civil war in the

1990s aimed at reconstructing the country and what once used to be a multiethnic society, BiH is still

far from being a functional and peaceful state. The Dayton Peace Agreement, which successfully

stopped the violence in 1995, created a rather cumbersome and ineffective political structure which

hindered the transformation of BiH into a stable country with its citizens sharing a common identity.

The division of inhabitants based on their ethnic identity is reinforced by divided schools and separate

schooling systems with different curricula for each ethnic group. Quota systems for filling govern-

ment posts and the territorial distribution of the population have resulted in the majority of municipal-

ities being dominated by one ethnic group, leaving only a handful of multiethnic areas. The ethnic

card is played by political elites from all sides in order to remain in power and preserve the status

quo, making it impossible to implement the necessary reforms. Various international and local actors

including nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the United Nations, OSCE Mission, and European

Union institutions are struggling to find a way to tackle these problems. These organizations' conflict

resolution and peacebuilding strategies vary considerably; however, only little is known about the

Received: 11 April 2018 Revised: 3 October 2018 Accepted: 7 October 2018

DOI: 10.1002/crq.21239

Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 2019;37:33–47. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/crq © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 33