Serbians in Michigan

Conclusion

73 Conclusion T he story of Michigan’s Serbian populations contains both typical and unique elements compared with the other immigrant populations in the state. Serbian émigrés left their homelands because of political, economic, and social pressures. When they arrived in Michigan they entered a period of vibrant economic growth. The Serbian immigrants went to work and used their wages to establish a series of comfortable enclaves to live and raise their families. They built churches, schools, and halls to preserve and celebrate their traditions. Furthermore, the Serbian immigrants published their own newspapers that allowed individuals who did not speak English to learn about current events in Europe and America. At the same time, Serbs taught their children to speak English, so they too could prosper in their new homeland. The children who became second-generation Serbian Americans also followed a typical pattern found in other immigrant groups. These individuals had one foot in American culture and the other in Serbian traditions. With loyalty split between two distinct communities, the second generation had to either compromise a variety of beliefs such as religious conviction, marriage rituals, and loyalty to the government, or completely adapt to one of their heritages. This confusing situation caused rifts between generations as parents sought to preserve their Serbian traditions, while their children wanted 74 Paul Lubotina to emulate their American peers. Further discord came from political battles fought between capitalists and communists in Serbian enclaves. While the capitalists eventually won, the protracted fighting led many people to leave their traditional communities along with altering their religious convictions, which has reduced the number of people who view themselves as Serbian Americans over successive generations. However, Serbian American communities also possess unique elements that have helped to preserve Serbian culture. Foremost, the Serbian Orthodox Church preserved a national identity over several centuries of military occupation by the Ottoman Empire. The church promoted nationalistic ideas through a shared sense of identity, reinforced through music and stories. In this way, church leaders have maintained a central role in every Serbian enclave. In Detroit, the Saint Lazarus Serbian Orthodox Cathedral emerged not only as the first Serbian church in the state, but also as a cultural and religious leader. Members of the congregation supported other Serbian enclaves as they sought to build their own churches. The Serbian Sisters and the United Serbian Women illustrate the positive role women played in community development. The members organized schools and summer camps to pass on traditions and educate future leaders among Serbian Americans. Their forethought and hard work have also preserved Serbian American national identity. That identity survived the single most traumatic event in Serbian American history, the nearly thirty-year-long church schism that divided families and enclaves across the United States. The breakdown of national churches in America was quite common during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries . However, the Serbian Church’s traditional role in maintaining national identity, even under a foreign government, made the division highly unusual for parishioners. The truly unique feature was not the schism itself, but the eventual reconciliation of the two parties after the particularly rancorous exchanges and protracted legal battles. The Serbian Orthodox Church ultimately proved its strength and endurance as a vehicle for national preservation by overcoming a major influence of Americanization, the breakdown of foreign national churches. This points to the continuity of Serbian influences and maintenance of a distinct Serbian American community in the United States for the foreseeable future. ...