A BRIEF NOTE ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND RECONCILIATION IN TRAUMATIZED STATE
A BRIEF NOTE ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND RECONCILIATION IN TRAUMATIZED STATE

Summary/Abstract: With reference to two different approaches to the study of regional integration in political science and peace building sociology, we will conduct a survey to investigate attitudes towards the relationship between social entrepreneurship, human rights and the development of positive and peaceful social relations among students at two different universities in Mostar, Bosnia & Hercegovina. One of these two universities is participating in a project financed by the Norwegian MFA – to establish a common platform among universities in the Western Balkan for the teaching and practice of human rights and interculturalism. (1) The other is not. We will take advantage of this situation to explore variation in student attitudes towards the above, as well as attitudes towards the future, personal and otherwise, at these two universities. Theoretically, our point of departure will be the concept of “spill over” in theories of regional integration, as developed in the 1960s, to explain political integration in Western Europe. We will combine aspects of this theorizing with theories developed by Paul Lederach (1997), to describe, however briefly, the role in society of a peace facilitator. Proceeding then with an empirical analysis at two levels, we will present the results of our investigation. First we will describe our own contribution and efforts in the Western Balkans to establish a common platform for the teaching of human rights and interculturalism. Next we will interview students at these two universities in Mostar – to test our hypotheses on their attitudes both towards the relationships mentioned above, as well as the effect of these perceptions on their sense of in what direction their society is moving.

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