ZAGREB, Nov 29 (Hina) - A two-day panel entitled "Ethnic Perception and Ethnic Distance" opened in Zagreb on Friday.
ZAGREB, Nov 29 (Hina) - A two-day panel entitled "Ethnic Perception
and Ethnic Distance" opened in Zagreb on Friday. #L#
The panel was organised by the Centre for Social and Inter-
Ethnic Communication of the Serbian Democratic Forum in cooperation
with the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Civil Society
Transition Centre.
The panel was opened by Serbian Democratic Forum secretary-
general, Veljko Dzakula. The participants were also welcomed by the
German Ambassador Volker Haak, representatives of the US, Russian,
Austrian and Yugoslav embassies in Zagreb, as well as OSCE and
Croatian Helsinki Committee representatives and Serb
representatives from the Croatian Danubian area.
"Ethnic perception, based on prejudices and stereotypes,
coupled with ethnic distance is a great obstacle to equality - it
hinders everyday human communication and diminishes tolerance of
minority ethnic communities," Dzakula said, thanking the Croatian
Government Office for Ethnic Communities or Minorities for its
support.
Member of Parliament Milorad Pupovac read a paper on the
interplay between individual and collective identities and
"ideologised consciousness" which arises when individuals
overidentify with the collective.
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