Post-War Diaspora(s): Cosmopolitan Nationalism?

The research project, theoretically based within the sociology of knowledge, focuses on the analysis of iden- tity-related interpretation patterns of Bosnian diasporas in Austria. It builds on the results of the applicants dissertation project, which addressed identity constructions in post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina. As the analysis indicates, the ethnic identification and the protection of the respective we-ideals are still of crucial im- portance for the self-image of Bosnians today. The dissertation demonstrated that the maintenance of a posi- tive we-image in the light of external de-legitimations is strongly connected to processes of self- victimization, which immunize against challenges of the we-ideal and stabilize an individuals identity. Due to the social and spatial proximity of the ethnic out-groups as well as the permanent confrontation with con- flicting reality perspectives and as a result of the fact that they are living in one nation state in certain co- dependencies, people in Bosnia are forced to adopt specific strategies, which enable them to cling to their self-image as victims despite their interaction in everyday life: The tabooing of the war-torn past in inter- ethnic communication, the subjectivation of war, or the externalization of responsibility onto outside parties are conducive to the normalization of interethnic relations. However, the societal post-war transformation process is also highly influenced by Bosnians who are not reliant on such pragmatic answers to the post-war crises, since their center of life is abroad. With their specific identities, which are shaped by a direct or indi- rect experience of war and migration as well as a life in minority settings, they co-construct a social reality within which they do not have to live. This research project aims to analyze these very identities which, by reason of their specific experiences, supposably combine cosmopolitanism and nationalism. Austria has sev- eral distinct characteristics, like the geographical proximity, the sheer size of the Bosnian diaspora popula- tion and the historical interwovenness, which makes it the most interesting place to study the Bosnian dias- poras (given the ongoing ethnic identification we must recognize a multitude of Bosnian diasporas). The question is: How do Bosnians of different ethnic belonging construct their identities in this specific environ- ment? To investigate the characteristic features of these post-war identities, i.e. to reconstruct the identity- related patterns of interpretation, the study will conduct interviews and group discussions, which will be analyzed by the procedure of objective hermeneutics. Following the principles of qualitative research in gen- eral, the investigation will be characterized by an interpenetration of empiricism and theory.

Nearly three decades have passed since the outbreak of the war in Bosnia -Herzegovina (1992- 1995), during which approximately 100,000 people were killed and over two million displaced. Nearly 90,000 Bosnians sought shelter in Austria, where they have been first considered as de facto refugees. A few years after the wars end, most of the former Bosnian refugees were granted permanent Austrian residence status, they stayed in Austria and melted with the large number of guest workers who had been here since the 1960s or 1970s. Between 2016 and 2021, the study "Postwar Diaspora(s): Cosmopolitan Nationalism?" analyzed the self-images of people of Bosnian origin living in Austria. It focused on the question of how these people the guest workers, the former refugees and their descendants create their identities in this context of war, post-war, migration and their life in minority settings. For this purpose, narrative interviews were conducted with people of different ethnicities, ages, genders and socio - economic backgrounds and interpreted by means of an objective hermeneutical a nalysis. The research revealed that all interviewees feel to be considered as not belonging completely to the Austrian society: although they do not see themselves defined as totally foreign, they do not feel recognized as full-fledged members of the Austrian in-group. Depending on their socio- economic background and their generation, they developed different strategies to deal with this incomplete belonging: One widely spread strategy is counter -stigmatization. Some people, for instance, distinguish themselves from the Austrian majority society, by describing its members as boring or anaemic. In this context, ethnic nationalism is a quite common pattern, but also the emphasis of the common bond of all people from the former Yugoslavia, regardless of their ethnic affiliation. Others try to strengthen their self-images and to acquire and retain their place in society to belong completely through an exaggerated adherence to the ideal of personal performance. In these cases, collective identities are usu ally of subordinate significance. The findings from the analysis of interviews with people who fled as children proved to be particularly interesting: Living in Austria since their childhood, the majority societys categorization as belonging incompletely hits them particularly hard. In response, they show a distinct desire to be considered a true Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian and put much effort into living up to this image: They want to speak a beautiful Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, listen to the right music, celebrate the right holydays in the right way, etc. What is considered right, however, depends strongly on the economic and cultural capital that they possess. The spectrum ranges from a pronounced ethno-nationalism with rigid ethnic ingroup-outgroup differentiations, via an emphasis on the south Slavic high cultural heritage, through to a cosmopolitan localization of one`s own origins.