Biography, belonging and legacies of the Yugoslav disintegration wars in the lives of postmigrant youth in Switzerland

Author(s) : Dilyara Müller-Suleymanova

Source : https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2023.2261292

Abstract:

The article examines the life-stories of three young people who were born in Switzerland, but whose parents fled Bosnia due to the Yugoslav disintegration wars. These biographic portraits present three different ways of relating to and identifying with the country of origin, and (dis)engaging with its violent past. The paper highlights the ways in which young people are exposed to histories of violence and how these become personally relevant to them. One way of relating to this violent past is through family histories and memories, but these often remain obscure and fragmented. At the same time, young people encounter the legacies of the conflict outside the family and the home: in different diasporic and non-diasporic social spaces. The paper identifies the crucial role of diasporic divisions resulting from the conflict, social encounters in different contexts, and exposure to alternative historic narratives, in the development of young people’s sense of belonging.

KEYWORDS:

• Biography
• Belonging
• Yugoslav disintegration wars
• Youth
• Bosnia