Life-Stories of Labour Migrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina: Balkanist Discourse(s), Liminality and Integration

Dalibor Savić, Anđela Pepić and Duško Trninić

Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2020, vol. 22, issue 1, 121-137

Abstract: The paper focuses on the role of the ‘Balkanist discourse’, as a collection of negative prejudices on the Balkan people and cultures, in constructing the individual and collective identities of labour migrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Particular emphasis is given to investigating to what extent the Balkanist discourse meta-narrative affects the integration of the labour migrants in host countries’ societies and their reintegration into BiH upon their temporary or permanent return. Based on an analytical model that emphasizes the mutual conditionality of everyday and public discourses, i.e. the typology of Balkanist discourse variations, this study undertakes a discourse analysis of the life stories of 10 young labour migrants from BiH. The research results show that variations of the Balkanist discourse are a dominant referential framework for the migrants in interpreting their own experience and social phenomena in both host country and BiH, regardless of the migrants embracing these Balkanist discourse stereotypes as part of their personal identity or feeling resistance towards them.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1080/19448953.2018.1506299

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