Paper short abstract:

This three-year ethnographic study investigates Bosnian ethnic and religious identity maintenance in a post-migration setting following the uncertainty of displacement following the Balkans war.

Paper long abstract:

ABSTRACT: After experiencing the uncertainty of forced migration following the 1991-95 Balkans war, Bosnians of Muslim, Croatian, and Serbian heritage have re-constructed community life and redefined themselves as a diasporic group in New England. This three-year, comparative ethnographic study of 42 refugees living in New England investigates how ethnic groups divided by war overcome differences and rebuild both ethnic and pan-ethnic communities following resettlement. The findings reveal variant outcomes in the levels of interethnic cooperation and religious identity maintenance between the Boston, Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut Bosnian communities. Demographic variables, such as ethnic composition, education, skill sets, and rural/urban origins, are found to impact the way each community has defined itself in a post-migration setting. This discussion also addresses secular Islam and illuminates the opportunities and challenges of being a European Muslim in the United States following the events of September 11, 2001.