Bosnia and Herzegovina: Identity, nationalist landscapes and the future of the state

In 1995 the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) ended the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The resultant Bosnia was formed of two entities; one Serb (the Republika Srpska), the other an amalgamation of the Bosnian Muslims, or Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats (the Federation). This research investigates and reports on how the three major ethnic groups---the Bosniaks, the Croats and the Serbs within Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) may be hindering Bosnia's development as a common identity, a functional sovereign state and what the future may hold for its success.; Under the auspices of the DPA, both the Croats and Serbs envision separate territorial legitimacy and identity: one at the cantonal or municipal levels and the other at the entity level. The Bosniaks, however, see territorial legitimacy and their identity as being congruent with the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The landscape has been used as part of a nationalist process by symbolically marking and claiming territory. This research suggests that Bosnia's three national groups have different understandings of their national identity that inhibits the development of a state centered Bosnian identity.