Many studies on refugee returns tend to amalgamate the experiences of migrants and
concentrate on return as an end point of the refugee cycle. In reality, however, returnees do not
share the same experience and endure the effects of their displacement long after they have
returned. This study claims that a more useful tool of analysis is to consider both the paths of
dislocation and the challenges of return and reintegration. It introduces the concept of ‘civic
differentiation’ as a means of exploring patterns of return and reintegration in post-war Croatia
where returning migrants enjoy vastly different access to critical resources, above all housing
and employment. This study considers the relevance of ethnic identity, property ownership,
exit routes and time spent in exile on re-integration and describes five return scenarios: 1)
settlement as ethnic colonisation; 2) forcible relocation as a result of regional policies; 3) the
return of retirement; 4) settlement following property repossession; 5) marginalization and
exclusion.