Is There a Croatian Diaspora in Europe? From ‘Gastarbeiters’ to Transmigrants and Ethnics
Is There a Croatian Diaspora in Europe? From ‘Gastarbeiters’ to Transmigrants and Ethnics

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to explore the types of diasporan action and practices and to compare the findings with the existing types of activities, orientations and collective actions of the Croatian migrants and their descendants in Europe in order to determine what types of social forms are generally present and prevail among Croatians in Europe. During the war in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 the practices of Croatian migrants resembled closely the ideal-typical diaspora. However, the intensity and extent of migrants’ activities and engagement for the homeland declined in the last decade. The majority of Croatian associations in Europe are focusing presently on the preservation of Croatian identity among Croatian migrants and institutionalisation of Croatian ethnicity as well as ethnic gathering and cultural events in the form of interaction rituals. Croatians in Europe, particularly younger generations, are latent diasporans and only socially and politically important processes in the homeland can reawaken the Croatian diaspora in the new host societies.

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