Original scientific paper
Some Aspects and Prepositions Regarding Acculturation of Expelled and Refugee Families on the Island of Hvar
Snježana Čolić
; Institute for Anthropological research, Zagreb, Croatia
Anita Sujoldžić
; Institute for Anthropological research, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Assuming that periodic, sudden contacts are also sufficient in creating a situation of acculturation, the authors identified some of its initial phases (contact, communication and partial evaluation) between expellees/refugees and the local population on the island of Hvar (Croatia), and also the possibilities of their socio-cultural integration. In this framework, they analysed the presence of social distance between the domestic population and expellees/refugees, and the subjective evaluations of expellees/refugees in regard to their return home, their future projections and some elements in perceiving their present situation. Whether or not the "us" − "them" difference shall increase, depends on factors which promote the process of maintaining socio-cultural diversity and assimilation. Simultaneously, whether or not the process of acculturation shall intensify, and in which phases shall it be made manifest, likewise depends on factors such as: the length of stay in the expellee/refugee settings, the perspectives of return, as well as global plans concerning the socio-economical development of Croatia as a whole (in this case especially of Hvar), immigration policy and government plans concerning the return of refugees. Thus, the further phases in acculturation processes on Hvar remain for now still open.
Keywords
expellees; refugees; acculturation; socio-cultural integration; social distance
Hrčak ID:
126951
URI
Publication date:
31.3.1995.
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