Prejudice and Discrimination in Bosnia

Essay by myhelpCollege, UndergraduateA, February 2009

download word file, 4 pages 4.8

Discrimination, Culture and Ethnicity in BosniaIf traveling to Bosnia or even considering traveling to Bosnia I would strongly suggest that a thorough research be done first. A person should not only research through the written word and works, but also some interaction with persons who have already experienced the people and customs first hand. If at all possible you should also speak to people of the same ethnicity groups and even people whom have lived there before.

According to The New York Times (May 13, 1993) Bosnia has many different cultures as well as races and ethnicities with in the country, some of these are: The Croats, Serbs and Bosnian Muslims. The names are used merely for geographical identification. It is their choice of religion that separates them. The Croats are Roman Catholic; Bosnians are converted to Muslim religion during the Ottoman occupation; and the Serbs are Eastern Orthodox. Some of the different Races are Muslim and Islamic.

Many do not know but there are many differences between race and ethnicity. Race according to Oxford University Press (2000) is defined by a group, breed, population or variety with in a species, or a way to divide humanity into different groups. Race is often defined by ones skin color, nose, and shape of eyes or hair color, which relates them to a geographical origin of a particular group. Racism has been around since the beginning of time but since the 20th century many countries have outlawed it and encouraged a more tolerant attitude to different cultures and ethnic origins.

Ethnicity according to Oxford University Press Inc. (2001) is associated with contact between cultural-linguistic within groups of societies. Ethnicity is a cultural prejudice and a social discrimination. Ethnicities way of being characterized like other social phenomena is subject to change. It is...