Comparing Coffee Cultures

Abstract

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, this article presents a comparative discussion of the cultural meanings of coffee consumption for Bosnian language speakers settled in Australia and Türkiye. Whilst a number of scholars have argued for the cultural significance of coffee drinking among “Bosnians”, to avoid the pitfalls of methodological nationalism and of serviceable translation practices, this article prioritizes the meanings that interlocutors themselves have given to consumption practices. Through ethnographic detail including the intralingual translation and co-construction of meaning that takes place during research, the article reveals the varied indexes and hidden meanings of specific references and actions in the coffee consumption practices of the Bosnian language speech community across different sites of their settlement.