The migrations of Bosniaks toward Turkey comprise a phenomenon that contains numerous historical narratives within itself, but also vividly illustrates the political and socio-cultural surroundings of a particular period in the Balkans.

The research of the topic can reveal volumes about identity and minority issues, ethnicity, nation formation and nationalism. Regarding the recent wars in the Balkans, such research can also provide insight into certain state identity policies affecting national identity,
which though furtively applied in times of socialism, had detrimental impacts on the status and destiny of Bosniaks. This research will explore why the Bosniaks were so often pushed to migrate and why Turkey was their “most natural” destination.

The subject of this study is the migrations of Bosniaks from the former Socialistic Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) to Turkey, after the Second World War (1945-1974). Numerous works of research have been undertaken on the migrations of Bosniaks, but such research has often given more attention to the late Ottoman and post-Ottoman periods. Numerous authors have addressed the migrations during the communist period as well, but there are aspects that can be complemented too. Such cases include the military formations in Sandžak and the treatment of those involved after the war. In that respect, more information should be developed regarding communist crimes after the war, perpetrated under the umbrella of “protecting the people of socialist Yugoslavia.”