Tills kriget skiljer oss åt - Blandäktenskap, en väg till förening mellan de etniska grupperna i Bosnien-Hercegovina?

A mixed marriage is defined as a social union between the couples families and friends where emotional bonds are tied across borders. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how a mixed marriage can contribute to a union between the ethnic groups in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosnia-Herzegovina is a multiethnic country populated by three different nationalities, Bosnian Croats, Bosnian Serbs and Bosniaks. I will explain the relationship between the groups and according to my theory describe how group identification and separation results in a feeling of “us” and “them”. The theory also includes how the image of the other can overcome through a mixed marriage. The analyze is based on my interviews with couples living in mixed marriages in Sweden, originally from the city Mostar in Bosnia-Hercegivna. The interviews and my research on intermarriage and reconciliation policies in Bosnia-Herzegovina, shows how a mixed marriage can be a way to reconcile the groups after the Bosnian war between 1992-1995. My conclusion shows both that mixed marriage can be a way to unite different groups, but also the problematic with mixed marriage today. The war in Bosnia-Herzegovina separated ethnic groups and the geographical separation between the populating in Mostar hampered the ability to marry across borders. Today Bosnia-Herzegovina is characterized by a nationalist policy and still a separated country between the ethnic groups