Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.56.3.3
The Slovaks of Osijek-Baranja County and their National Identity: Memory Against Assimilation
Dragutin Babić
; Institut za migracije i narodnosti, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
This paper, based on empirical research carried out in Osijek-Baranja county, examines the
correlation between the assimilation and national identity of the Slovak community and their
collective memory. Slovaks are an “old“ national minority who started settling down in Slavonia
as early as the 18th century and continued throughout the 19th and the beginning of the
20th century. According to the 2011 census there were 2,293 Slovaks in Osijek-Baranja county
(0.7% of the total population). In the ten-year interval between the 1991 and the 2001 census
there was a significant increase in the number of Slovaks, from 1,279 to 2,155. The second
interval between the 2001 and the 2011 census, however, saw a small rise in the Slovak population,
from 2,155 to 2,293. The reason for the big increase between 1991 and 2001 was that
the town of Našice (previously part of Požega-Slavonia county with a considerable number
of Slovak residents) became part of Osijek-Baranja county. The research was conducted in
Osijek using semi-structured interviews with nine Slovaks. The interview questions encompassed
their arrival in Slavonia and issues related to their integration into the new community,
memories of the most important national community events, co-existence with the members
of other minority groups, assimilation, preservation of national identity and organization of
life in Osijek-Baranja county. The Slovaks have kept their ancestors’ first arrival and settlements
in Slavonia in their communicative and cultural memory. Their integration into the
local community was facilitated by certain professions they brought along and the need for
workforce on the ravaged land at the time of first settlements. Assimilation has been long present
like in most ethnic minorities but several last decades have witnessed a slight increase in
the number of Slovaks in the county population. Beside obvious reasons (new immigration,
more tolerant post-war atmosphere in the society), some vital factors in the population rise
are the Slovaks’ efforts to preserve their culture, folklore and tradition, the implementation of
model C in elementary and secondary education, the revitalization of national identity after
the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and Slovakia’s independence. The Slovak Cultural Centre
was established in Našice in 2011 and it co-ordinates the work of Matica Slovenská and Slovak
associations across Croatia. All these activities strengthen the formation and expression of the
Slovak national identity in Osijek-Baranja county and Croatia.
Ključne riječi
Slovaks; memory; national identity; assimilation
Hrčak ID:
207761
URI
Datum izdavanja:
8.11.2018.
Posjeta: 2.051 *