Preliminary communication
Island challenges: life on periphery, leaving or revitalisation of island mycro social atmosphere
Dragutin Babić
; Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivan Lajić
; Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies, Zagreb, Croatia
Sonja Podgorelec
; Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
In this article the authors analyse the life of islanders on three islands
of Zadar: Iz, Ugljan and Dugi otok. The life on these islands has mainly the characteristics of people's existence in periphery areas. This refers specially to Iz and Dugi otok, while the life of islanders on
Ugljan is more dynamic and less burdened by periphery syndrome.
Difflculties of living on the island, problem of connections with the land, isolation, aging of island population and other unfavourable
factors have influence on island depopulation and leaving of young people to non-island destinations. In many island environments leaving of islanders has got proportions of a real island exodus and
the consequences of these processes in the long run lead toward the
extinction of the island micro social system. The empirical study on
three islands of Zadar was carried out in October' 2001. It comprised
young islanders, pupils of elementary and secondary schools as well
as older islanders, at the age of 60 and more. All together, 107 pupils
and 151 respondents of older age were surveyed on three islands. The data were processed on a personal computer and statistical significance of differences was tested by X2-test. In the analysis of
questionnaire survey the following independent variables were used:
island, age, marital status, single or multi-member household, education, occupation and children on the island or in emigration. The
obtained research results in regard to young islanders show that young people recognize main advantages of island life mostly as ecological ones. This can be a generator of island development on new foundations in the next period. Thereby the accent could be put
on post-modern values such as preserved nature, peace, silence, quality of life and the like. Leaving of young population is revealed as
the main disadvantage that generates depressive and hard socio-psychological atmosphere in island environments. The most difficult
problems of older islanders are loneliness, tom (broken) networks of
primary social relations (in the first place family ones) and fear of social isolation. Therefore the question arises: how to revitalise island
local communities and stop island depopulation. The role of the state in this possible/desirable process is unavoidable and by all means the
most significant. Island local communities alone, as well as the counties to which they belong, do not have sufficient resources to revive island life and make it more dynamic.
Keywords
islands; young islanders; older islanders; periphery; island revitalisation
Hrčak ID:
34238
URI
Publication date:
23.3.2009.
Visits: 4.156 *