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

Abstract

St. Louis, Missouri received approximately 11,000 refugees from the Bosnian War (1992–1995) between 1993 and 2001. These newcomers were resettled in a predominantly white, working-class neighborhood on the city's south side known a century earlier for its German population. They were joined by family reunification immigrants, secondary migrants from other US cities, and a newborn generation of Bosnian Americans. With a current population of about 70,000, they constitute the largest population of Bosnians in the USA. They are credited with revitalizing the St. Louis neighborhood of Bevo Mill and stabilizing the city's declining population. Bosnians have created a distinctive ethnic enclave that is visible on the commercial, religious, and residential landscapes, and they have found a place in the wider receiving community. Drawing upon field observations, the local media, and the work of fellow scholars, this article investigates two decades of Bosnian place-making in south St. Louis. Through this case study, the author also seeks to fill a gap in the scholarly literature of this relatively recent diaspora by documenting the Bosnian imprint on the cultural landscape.

Keywords:

• ethnic enclave
• cultural landscape
• ethnic gentrification
• refugees
• USA

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to acknowledge the cartographic and photographic contributions of undergraduate research assistants Brigette Ealy and Paige Holsapple to this research.

Notes

1. For an overview of this body of literature, see Mišković 2011.

Additional information

Funding

A portion of this research was supported by an Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) award from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.