CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Ahern, Abijah |
|---|---|
| Title | We've Got Good Members That Aren't Croatian: Boundary Processes and Collective Identity Construction in Croatian Ethnic Organizations in the United States |
| Summary | This research investigates boundary processes and collective identity construction in Croatian ethnic organizations in the United States. Using a qualitative approach that relies on in-depth semi-structured interviews with organizational members, this research documents the presence, maintenance and negotiation of both ethnic and non-ethnic symbolic and social boundaries in these organizations. The research examines processes of boundary shifting and blurring present in Croatian ethnic organizations in the United States, as well as investigating the external and internal factors that have contributed to these processes. Moving beyond traditional conceptions of long-distance nationalism in Croatian ethnic organizations, this work evaluates the extent to which diasporic claims, stances, and behaviors are or are not present in these organizations, and emphasizes the malleable nature of organizational ethnic boundaries. Through this organizational focus, this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the performance and enactment of ethnic identity, particularly in the context of the United States. Key findings reveal variations in boundary processes and associated organizational identities related to historical context, generational shifts, and larger external social processes. Ultimately, this work argues for considering Croatian ethnic organizations in the United States as communities of practice whose boundaries have been shaped significantly by a dialectical process of assimilation and ethnic invention. |
| Supervisor | Mijic, Ana |
| Department | Nationalism Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/ahern_abijah.pdf |
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