Coffee With Ivana Bajić Hajduković

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In the new podcast series “A Coffee with…” we hosted Ivana Bajić Hajduković to discuss her book Can One Escape Sorrow? Mothers of Emigrants from Belgrade in the 1990s, published by Imprimatur. The book delves into the intimate dynamics of family relationships permanently marked by the mass emigration caused by war and crises during the 1990s.

Ivana approaches the topic of emigration from a completely different perspective—examining the experiences of those who stayed behind and exploring the lasting impact of the 1990s exodus not only on families but also on society as a whole.

In our conversation, we further explored how emigration and new environments influence family bonds and how sending food to children abroad becomes a symbolic act of preserving their identity. Enjoy the episode, and if you can, make time to read this important and impactful book!

What you will hear in this episode:

(00:06:35) The impact of emigration on the families left behind
(00:11:04) What communication was like in the 1990s without social media and modern technology
(00:18:08) How sibling relationships differed between those who left and those who stayed
(00:22:14) The societal consequences of mass emigrations from the 1990s
(00:37:24) Why food has become an essential part of non-verbal communication
(00:44:16) How the envy of others affected the families of those who stayed behind
(00:48:08) What happened to the identity of mothers in society
(00:50:16) How foreign environments influenced emigrants and their sense of identity and belonging

Podcast Author: Natasha Kocsis
Organisation: Serbian City Club
Production: YourPodcast
Illustration: Nemanja Ristic, email: nemanjaristic@yahoo.com
Animation: Chike J.