Creating Identity out of War and Migration

Thirty years have passed since the violent dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, culminating in the devastating war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Between 1992 and 1995, this conflict claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people and forced approximately 2.5 million to flee their homes. Around one million sought refuge in over 20 countries worldwide. The research project Creating Identity out of War and Migration explores the long-term effects of war and forced migration on the identities of individuals who fled Bosnia-Herzegovina as children or adolescents, often referred to as the “1.5 generation refugees.” It does so through a comparative analysis of two distinct immigration contexts: the USA and Austria.

While previous studies have largely focused on the initial integration of forced migrants into host societies, often relying on data from the early years of displacement, this project adopts a long-term perspective. It examines how, over the course of three decades, these individuals have integrated the profound experiences of war, forced migration, and life in minority settings into their evolving identities from childhood/adolescence until today. Central questions include: How have they managed to construct a sense of continuity and belonging in the face of discontinuity, upheaval, and potential exclusion? How have subsequent life experiences shaped or transformed the identity challenges rooted in their displacement? To deepen understanding of the interaction between social context and individual identity, the project contrasts two markedly different immigration environments—Vienna and Chicago—which also represent distinct “landscapes of difference” in terms of religion, class, ethnicity, and race.

In both Vienna and Chicago, narrative-biographical interviews will be conducted with former 1.5-generation refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina. These interviews will then be analyzed using a reconstructive-hermeneutical approach to identify patterns and develop a typology of strategies employed by former forced migrants to create continuity and forge identity after experiences of war and displacement. The project is rooted in the social-constructivist sociology of knowledge and engages with theories of symbolic and social boundary-making, as well as reflexive migration sociology. By centering on lived experiences and processes of boundary-making while avoiding predefined categories, the research moves beyond an “ethnic lens” to offer a more nuanced understanding of identity formation. Ultimately, this project aims not only to shed light on the experiences of Bosnian forced migrants but also to contribute to broader discussions about belonging, identity, and resilience in the context of forced displacement.