Abstract:

Bosnia and Herzegovina is known by its multi-ethnic structure. The country’s population consists of three major ethnic groups: Bosniacs (Bosnian Muslims), Croats (Bosnian Catholics) and Serbs (Bosnian Orthodox). Their relation through history varies, ranging from co-existence and respect to tensions and armed conflict. The armed conflict between 1992-1995 was one of the worst crises between the three ethnicities within the region. The hope was that the rebuilding in 2004 will encourage the definition of a new common identity of the country. Today, -for almost 25 years after war- in a lot of cities the consequences of the war are still remarkable; not only by observing the condition of buildings or spaces, but also in the way the public sphere has developed in these cities. It is interesting to understand this social interaction. Therefore, this paper investigates socio-spatial relations in Mostar, owning a remarkable cultural heritage but also known as the city which suffered due the consequences of having these historical sites. The research elaborates on the ethnographic study conducted as a part of a master thesis conducted in 2013. It aims at discovering the similarities between the two existing major ethnic groups regarding the spatial setting they belong through examining the socio-spatial patterns of each interest group. The objective is to seek for a common definition of public space in the context of Mostar despite of the ethnic differences.  

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