Those who emigrated from a state that no longer exists, do you say you are from whatever modern state exists there now? (USSR, Yugoslavia, etc)
September 17, 2025
For instance would a Serb from modern day Sarajevo who has lived in Germany since 1990 say they are originally from Bosnia, Serbia, or Yugoslavia?
11 comments
Not me but I remember when I worked as a server I had a customer who I chatted with and when I asked where they were from they answered “Rhodesia”.
The Serbs from Bosnia that I know say that they are Serbs from Bosnia.
Which makes sense, because the geographical region of Bosnia did exist beforehand, and they still go there over the holidays.
My paternal family immigrated to Turkey from North Macedonia which was Yugoslavia back then. My great uncles used to say always “Yugoslavia”. My father and my uncles still refer to “Yugoslavia” when they talk about their childhood memories, but they say “Macedonia” when they talk about today. For example, “I will visit our aunt in Macedonia”, “Our cousin from Macedonia will stay at our place for a couple days”.
However, those who have immigrated to Turkey from Bosnia say always that they are from Bosnia, no reference to Yugoslavia.
Depends on where they are. People who moved to Canada, Australia, etc are more likely to call it Yugoslavia than the modern name, while people who moved within Europe are highly unlikely to do so.
Not really, I always say that I’m originally from the USSR, and a colonizing Russian German deported/colonialist in Kazakhstan, and that I’m a French civilian nowadays, because that’s an accurate qualifier. I’d wager this is the same for some people from Yugoslavia etc.
When I was born, Czechoslovakia still existed. It split not long after. I consider myself Czech. My parents also say they are from the Czech Republic (despite living the first three decades of their life in Czechoslovakia).
I’m from Belarus. I moved from Belarus to Bangladesh in 1982, and have lived in five other countries since then. Of course I say I’m from Belarus, not the USSR, although for a few years after the USSR broke up, I used to say I was from the former USSR.
I think a Bosnian Serb from Sarajevo ought to say he’s from BiH, unless one asks him his ethnicity. He can say he was born in what was then Yugoslavia, which is true. Saying he’s from Serbia would be an outright lie. Just like an ethnic Russian from Belarus would be lying if he said he was from Russia.
I always say I’m from Serbia, even if it was still called Yugoslavia when I left it. Granted, this was at the tail-end of the dissolution in the 90s, and I was very young.
Sometimes (rarely though), I may meet people from really far away, maybe from the older generations and perhaps not that well educated (no disrespect intended), who may struggle to identify Serbia. In those cases, I’ll try with Yugoslavia, sometimes that rings a bell.
None of the Baltic people I have met have ever said they are from USSR.
Even the older generations are always say the actual country. Makes sense as it was an occupation and they do not associate themselves with USSR.
I was born in West Germany (BRD) and it was still West Germany when I left. I grew up in the UK, but if someone asks me where I was born then it’s West Germany, if someone asks when I’m from then it’s where I grew up, and where my family are from
My neighbours say they are from the Soviet Union, but I assumed it was because they were from different current countries. And later I found out and yes, 2000km apart or so.
11 comments
Not me but I remember when I worked as a server I had a customer who I chatted with and when I asked where they were from they answered “Rhodesia”.
The Serbs from Bosnia that I know say that they are Serbs from Bosnia.
Which makes sense, because the geographical region of Bosnia did exist beforehand, and they still go there over the holidays.
My paternal family immigrated to Turkey from North Macedonia which was Yugoslavia back then. My great uncles used to say always “Yugoslavia”. My father and my uncles still refer to “Yugoslavia” when they talk about their childhood memories, but they say “Macedonia” when they talk about today. For example, “I will visit our aunt in Macedonia”, “Our cousin from Macedonia will stay at our place for a couple days”.
However, those who have immigrated to Turkey from Bosnia say always that they are from Bosnia, no reference to Yugoslavia.
Depends on where they are. People who moved to Canada, Australia, etc are more likely to call it Yugoslavia than the modern name, while people who moved within Europe are highly unlikely to do so.
Not really, I always say that I’m originally from the USSR, and a colonizing Russian German deported/colonialist in Kazakhstan, and that I’m a French civilian nowadays, because that’s an accurate qualifier. I’d wager this is the same for some people from Yugoslavia etc.
When I was born, Czechoslovakia still existed. It split not long after. I consider myself Czech. My parents also say they are from the Czech Republic (despite living the first three decades of their life in Czechoslovakia).
I’m from Belarus. I moved from Belarus to Bangladesh in 1982, and have lived in five other countries since then. Of course I say I’m from Belarus, not the USSR, although for a few years after the USSR broke up, I used to say I was from the former USSR.
I think a Bosnian Serb from Sarajevo ought to say he’s from BiH, unless one asks him his ethnicity. He can say he was born in what was then Yugoslavia, which is true. Saying he’s from Serbia would be an outright lie. Just like an ethnic Russian from Belarus would be lying if he said he was from Russia.
I always say I’m from Serbia, even if it was still called Yugoslavia when I left it. Granted, this was at the tail-end of the dissolution in the 90s, and I was very young.
Sometimes (rarely though), I may meet people from really far away, maybe from the older generations and perhaps not that well educated (no disrespect intended), who may struggle to identify Serbia. In those cases, I’ll try with Yugoslavia, sometimes that rings a bell.
None of the Baltic people I have met have ever said they are from USSR.
Even the older generations are always say the actual country. Makes sense as it was an occupation and they do not associate themselves with USSR.
I was born in West Germany (BRD) and it was still West Germany when I left. I grew up in the UK, but if someone asks me where I was born then it’s West Germany, if someone asks when I’m from then it’s where I grew up, and where my family are from
My neighbours say they are from the Soviet Union, but I assumed it was because they were from different current countries. And later I found out and yes, 2000km apart or so.