Migration and Different Relationships with the Place of Origin in Eastern Serbia: A Demographic Case Study

Abstract

The paper shows the demographic and cultural transformation of two micro-areas in eastern Serbia influenced by migration in the last few decades. The work is based on the results of qualitative field research in Homolje, Zvižd, and Ponišavlje in the period 2007– 2024. The different historical and economic contexts of migration from these two microareas are shown through the causes and consequences of migration since the middle of the 20th century. Alongside demographic methods, the paper employs the qualitative interview and comparative method to depict multiple layers of the migration process. Through an interdisciplinary approach, we discuss the demographic causes of the ethno-anthropological phenomenon of identity transformation, and its reflection on the relationship with the place of origin. Qualitative and quantitative research confirmed the decisive influence of the socio-demographic characteristics of the migrating population and the migration destination, as well as the formation of specific identities among migrants, which resulted in a different relationship with the place of origin.