Many studies on refugee returns tend to amalgamate the experiences of migrants and concentrate on return as an end point of the refugee cycle. In reality, however, returnees do not share the same experience and endure the effects of their displacement long after they have returned. This study claims that a more useful tool of analysis is to consider both the paths of dislocation and the challenges of return and reintegration. It introduces the concept of 'civic differentiation' as a means of exploring patterns of return and reintegration in post-war Croatia where returning migrants enjoy vastly different access to critical resources, above all housing and employment. This study considers the relevance for reintegration of ethnic identity, property ownership, exit routes and time spent in exile, and describes five return scenarios: settlement as ethnic colonization; forcible relocation as a result of regional policies; the return of retirement; settlement following property repossession; marginalization and exclusion. © The Author [2005]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

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return migration World Eurasia Croatia Europe ethnic minority human rights Southern Europe Eastern Hemisphere social status