Ethnic-Group Strength Among Bosnian Refugees in St. Louis, Missouri, and Host Receptivity and Conformity Pressure

Finding the city in sociology: Broadening and deepening the geographic scope of the urban and inequality literatures

“…The concentration of violence in the city and region has been assessed by researchers using increasingly sophisticated spatial statistical methods (Messner et al, ; Smith & Sandoval, , ). Like crime, immigration is also an increasingly fruitful area of sociological research (Sandoval, ), particularly around both growing Latino communities and a substantial resettlement of Bosnians in the city and later the county following civil war in the former Yugoslavia (Cheah, Karamehic‐Muratovic, & Matsuo, ; Cheah, Karamehic‐Muratovic, Matsuo, & Poljarevic, ; Hume, ). St. Louis's crime and immigration trajectories, which both currently differ from many American cities, are examples of what sociology as a discipline can miss when paradigmatic cities are continually looked to by researchers.…”

Two decades of Bosnian place-making in St. Louis, Missouri

“…Several studies have recognized a strong desire among first generation refugees and immigrants to be part of a cohesive ethnic community (Franz 2003c;Brooks 2010;Lucken 2010;Cheah et al 2011Cheah et al , 2013. Lucken (2010) and Colic-Peisker (2005) found that Bosnian Muslim religious identity among refugees in Hartford, Connecticut and Sydney, Australia had been strengthened by the experiences of war and displacement.…”

“…Cheah et al concluded: "Living in St. Louis, with a large population of other Bosnian refugees, makes Bosnians feel at home" (2011, p. 232). However, several scholars have noted that cohesive ethnic communities do not necessarily preclude Bosnian integration into the larger receiving community and can even assist in the adaptation process (Franz 2003c;Lucken 2010;Cheah et al 2011Cheah et al , 2013. Ives (2005) found that, unlike their compatriots in Denmark, Bosnians in the USA believed they could fully become part of American society despite early financial struggles.…”

“…Cheah et al (2011; confirmed this in St. Louis: "Our findings showed that a refugee can simultaneously possess both U.S. cultural and ethnic identity salience" (Cheah et al 2013, p. 412). As a relevant addition, though, Cheah et al (2013) noted the importance of a receptive host community in facilitating these processes. Even how Bosnians perceived American attitudes toward them was found to be significant in the adaptation processes of newcomers (Matsuo et al 2009;Cheah et al 2010Cheah et al , 2011Croegaert 2010;Matsuo and Poljarevic 2011).…”

What Does Not Kill Us Makes Us Stronger: Implications for Bosnian Refugees' Coping Skills during a Natural Disaster

“…mental health) during natural disasters, have emphasized the importance of effective coping strategies. Though Bosnian refugees have now been resettled in the U.S. for some 15-20 years and are relatively well established, a refugee group is nonetheless considered to be a linguistically, culturally, socially and economically disadvantaged group due to ongoing challenges related to being a refugee, living in a new country and mental health needs [1]. For example, many Bosnians continue to suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) and experience negative sequelae from war trauma, displacement, and relocation [2].…”