Relational Dimensions of Ethnic Identity: Research on Ethnic Categories in the Case of Petrinja

The paper is based on the results of an empirical study carried out in the settlement of Petrinja at the being of 2003. During construction of the sample, the assumption was made that due to war destruction and migration during the Homeland war, four ethnic categories were formed: 1. indigenous Croats, 2. Bosnian Croats, 3. indigenous Serbs, and 4. indigenous Serb returnees. The goal of the study was to establish the forms of ethnic identification that are predominant in these four ethnic categories, as well as to determine the way in which members of each ethnic category define members of other categories in their environment. The problem of ethnic identification was examined among members of groups (endoidentification), as well as among non-members, i.e. outsiders (exoidentification). The results of the research, in all four categories, confirmed the thesis that ethnic identities have a relational in addition to a dynamic character that is subject to redefinition. Hence, it was also shown that processuality is an important trait of ethnicity.