The Role of Religion in the Lives of Serbian Immigrants in Sweden

Sweden became a destination country for Serbian immigrants in the 1960s. After the disintegration of the socialist Yugoslavia at the beginning of the 1990s, Sweden became an important reception country for Serbian refugees from war-affected areas, as well as for the young, highly educated workforce from Serbia. Data on Serbian citizens immigrating to Sweden indicate that the number is constantly increasing. Traditionally, many of them are related to the Serbian Orthodox Church. However, the role of the Church and religion has not always been evident. There has been a strong revival of religion in Serbia in recent years which affected the Serbian immigrant community in Sweden in different ways.

This paper aims to present an ongoing research dealing with Serbian immigrants in Sweden and the role religion has in their identity formation. The primary focus is on the ways in which religion enters the lives of Serbian immigrants and the implications of it for the integration process. The presentation will be based on the analysis of data collected through the appropriate ethnographic work, as well as a number of in-depth interviews conducted with different actors related to this particular immigrant community.