Book Reviews 443

and socio-cultural identity, and in particular from the point of view of women who are
the custodians of the householdthe domain of Muslim identity.
On another level, as Bringa has followed events in her village of Dolina, as well as
those of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a whole, during the momentous years of dramatic
change, this book is about the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It gives a profound insight
into the effect that military and political developments have had on the Bosnian people
and their way of thinking about themselves and about their neighbours: those with
whom they have shared their communal life throughout Bosnian history.
Bringa elucidates almost all significant concepts in the original language spoken by
Bosniansas she calls it, 'Bosnian', or as it was called prior to the war, 'Serbo-Croat'.
Apart from typographical errors of the diacritical marks and a couple of
misinterpretations or rather verbatim translations, the author's grasp of the language
is commendable. The book is a welcome addition to the literature on the war in Bosnia-
Herzegovina and the ethnographic narrative makes it a delightful read.
Leila Somun Centre for Regional Research, Middle East Technical University, Ankara
Reconstructing Lives, Recapturing Meaning, Refugee Identity, Gender, and
Culture Change. Edited by Linda A. Camino and Ruth M. Krulfeld. The
George Washington University, Washington, DC: Gordon and Breach,
1994. xviii + 253pp. 26 ISBN 2 8849 109 0 (hb); 13 ISBN 2 8849 110 4 (pb).
This book attempts to synthesize approaches to refugee, ethnic and gender studies. It
explores the relationship between the dynamics of displacement and identity creation in
resettled refugee populations. The authorsmainly anthropologistshave made a
long-needed theoretical and methodological contribution to the field of forced
migration. Their investigations of refugees' processes of adjustment as they are
caught between the pressures to assimilate and the need to maintain a separate identity
have led the authors to reflect on the interplay between cultural, ethnic, and gender
constructions.
Each chapter tries to answer the following questions: What happens to identity in the
context of accelerated change? How and why are old elements maintained or discarded
and new ones created in the process of adaptation? And how is identity produced or
reproduced on the level of interaction!
However, the absence of investigation into the processes of identity formation among
internally displaced communities is a regrettable one. This silent space contributes
further to the isolation of these refugees, not entitled to systematic international
protection and who now exceed in number those who have crossed borders. The lack of
interest probably stems from the assumption that internal refugees do not undergo the
same 'identity crises' while remaining in their own country. If the change is more subtle,
or more imperceptible, these refugees often experience 'otherness' in a permanently
conflictual way. Confronted with ethnocide and other forms of identity destruction,
they face sometimes worse challenges.
The authors unanimously chose to view resettlement as an experimental, creative
process, and refugees as innovators: their liminal status is conducive to generating new
forms of thought and behaviour. The contributors refuse to dwell on the losses and
helplessness of refugees, who are usually portrayed, by the media and international
organizations, as being reactive, desperate people. There is an implicit and sometimes
explicit recognition of the implications that such labelling has had on policies and

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444 Book Reviews
guidelines for intervention, and the need for researchers to be aware of their own
responsibilities when dealing with refugees. There is also a unanimous perception that
group identity formation is a dynamic and strategic process, and that boundary
maintenance is essential to this process.
The book shows how much the study of forced migration and ethnic studies have
each contributed to the development of the other. The scale of transnational population
movements has forced scholars to rethink the conceptualization of ethnicity and ethnic
identity. A few decades ago, anthropologists viewed culture as a fixed entity and set
themselves the task of defining and describing the characteristics of groups they
comprehended as isolated, bounded communities. However, inquiry into population
shifts has forced reconsideration of this perspective. The question of what makes an
ethnic group in relation to another has become critical. The wide reference to Frederick
Barth in the book reflects the position of the writers. They have adopted his theory,
challenging previous assumptions of ethnicity as being an essence, a social given. With
Barth's work, the discussion on ethnicity and identity shifted from static descriptions of
cultural content to an emphasis on strategic and dynamic processes whereby boundary
making and maintenance became the critical focus.
Recent studies on ethnicity and identity formation have been key to understanding
the dynamics of refugee communities, how they delineate their space and how it is
demarcated by others. They also contribute to a better insight into the process of
adaptation. This book incorporates this new understanding of ethnicity and adaptation,
and refutes previous attempts at depicting adaptation as a linear development; rather, it
is like a pendulum movement going back and forth between the present, the past and the
future. Identity is situational, dependent on particular circumstances and social
interaction, and ethnicity is relational and processual.
Most chapters introduce the notion of suffering and fear not only to state a fact of the
refugees' experience, but mainly to underline their relationship to identity preservation.
As compelling and creative factors, they force refugees to re-evaluate constantly the
relevance of their ethnic and refugee identities and to reflect on their transformations. In
turn, the process of identity formation itself has a therapeutic function. It allows the
integration of suffering into the redefinition of the group's identity. Thus suffering
becomes meaningful and acquires value. Suffering has also forced the authors to reflect
upon the role and methods of researchers confronted with such tragedies, having
themselves to cope with their own pain and hopelessness.
The time dimension, generational tensions and gender relationships are all variables
in the dynamics of adaptation that are analysed, examined and illustrated with case
studies. Ten stories bring us to the same conclusion: self-definition, as opposed to
externally imposed identities, and autonomy, are essential to the successful adjustment
of refugees. It follows that acculturation models must be discarded in favour of more
flexible approaches, and that refugees should be given the latitude to reinforce their
group cohesiveness, rather than being pressured to assimilate rapidly.
Well informed and well edited, this book is accessible to a wider public. It would,
nevertheless, have benefited from more critical appraisal of modernist ethnic theory and
perhaps a lesser focus on Barth to explore other theoretical avenues.
Nafla Nauphal Wolfson College, University of Oxford

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