Ethnic distancing through aesthetics in Bosnia-Herzegovina

appraising the limits of art as a peacebuilding tool with a socio-psychological experiment

Rok Zupančič (Author), Faris Kočan (Author), Janja Vuga (Author)

Abstract

In this paper, we test a widely accepted assumption in literature, namely, that due to its universal(istic) and humanistic character aiming to transcend ethnic boundaries, art is an effective tool for overcoming inter-ethnic divisions, and further, that people consider art effective to this specific purpose. To test this assumption, we ran a socio-psychological experiment at different universities in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Students were asked to assess the aesthetic value of the selected art installation, but were given different names, surnames and city of the artist, since names and places tend to indicate ethnicity in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We hypothesized that the students would attach greater value to the work of an artist perceived to belong to their ethnic group than that of one thought to belong to another group. The results revealed that the artist's perceived ethnicity did not play a role in evaluating the value of the work presented. The findings demonstrate that the "the other" in Bosnia- Herzegovina is not always perceived through an ethno-political lens as the literature often suggests. Furthermore, it found that art per se is not necessarily perceived as an effective tool for bridging inter-ethnic divides.

Keywords

Ohranjanje miru;Sprava;Etnične skupine;Etnični odnosi;Umetnost;Bosna in Hercegovina;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2021
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UL FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
UDC:	323.1(497.6)
COBISS:	45081091
ISSN:	1468-3857
Views:	149
Downloads:	46
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Secondary language:	Slovenian
Secondary keywords:	Peace-building;Reconciliation;Ethnic groups;Ethnic relations;Arts;Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Type (COBISS):	Article
Pages:	str. 101-123
Volume:	ǂVol. ǂ21
Issue:	ǂiss. ǂ1
Chronology:	2021
DOI:	10.1080/14683857.2020.1867410
ID:	15288125