Lecture ‘Migrations of Religious Minorities’ Migrations: The Case Study of the Nazarene in North America’

Aleksandra Đurić Milovanović, PhD, will deliver a lecture titled ‘Religious Minorities’ Migrations: The Case Study of the Nazarene in North America’ on Wednesday, 25 September, at 1 p.m. at the SASA Hall 2. The event is organized by the SASA Board for the Study of National Minorities and Human Rights.

What role does religion play in migration processes? What are the reasons for religious minorities’ migrations? What is the role of religious identities in the processes of integration in new surroundings?

Since the history of migrations is quite diverse, this talk will focus both chronologically and geographically on the migrations of religious minorities in the social and historical context of post-war Yugoslavia (following 1945). The case study focuses on the Christian Nazarene community, whose migration was viewed through the lens of their religious identity and strong pacifist beliefs. The Nazarenes, known in North America as the Apostolic Christian Church, are a hitherto unexplored neo-Protestant community in the diaspora, whose history of emigration offers new insights into the policies toward minority religions during socialism, migration patterns of religious minorities, and mechanisms of integration into American society. Migration paths and routes, life in refugee camps and adaptation to a new society are present in the narratives of the Nazarenes in America and are part of a multi-year study conducted in Ohio state.