The event participants were greeted by the director of the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences Željko Holjevac, the chair of the event programme and organisational committee Marin Sopta, the dean of the University of Osijek’s Faculty of Economics Boris Crnković, the rector of the University of Zagreb Damir Boras, the prorector of the University of Mostar Vlado Majstorović, the director of the Pastoral Directorate for Croats Abroad Tomislav Markić, state secretary Željka Josić of the Central State Office for Demography and Youth, CHF director Mijo Marić, and Dario Magdić, the deputy to the state secretary at the State Office for Croats Abroad.
On 5 and 6 November the Centre for the Study of the Croatian Diaspora staged the 4th Croatian Diaspora Congress at the Croatian Heritage Foundation headquarters in Zagreb. The event adhered to all the currently imposed epidemiological restrictions.
The event participants were greeted by the director of the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences Željko Holjevac, the chair of the event programme and organisational committee Marin Sopta, the dean of the University of Osijek’s Faculty of Economics Boris Crnković, the rector of the University of Zagreb Damir Boras, the prorector of the University of Mostar Vlado Majstorović, the director of the Pastoral Directorate for Croats Abroad (an office of the Croatian Bishops’ Conference and the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina for the Croatian Foreign Pastorate) Tomislav Markić, state secretary Željka Josić of the Central State Office for Demography and Youth, Croatian Heritage Foundation director Mijo Marić, and Dario Magdić, the deputy to the state secretary at the State Office for Croats Abroad.
In his welcome speech event programme and organisational committee chair Sopta told the participants that “As at the first three congresses: 2014 in Zagreb, 2016 in Šibenik, and 2018 in Osijek, we want to touch upon the topic of homeland repatriation though our lectures,” adding that, “a massive number of Croatians settling back in the homeland is certainly not going to happen. For at least some of them to come back, we need certain prerequisites and the good will of politicians who need to go on the record as to whether or not they actually support to the repatriation of our emigrants.”
The panel discussions focused on a variety of themes. Among the participants were some repatriates that may serve as examples of how settling back in the homeland can be marked with success. Josip Hrgetić and Don Markušić both moved here from abroad and spoke of their experience at the introductory panel session. The repatriation policy in local communities panel included presentations from another pair of homecomers; Gospić mayor Karlo Starčević and Vis mayor Ivo Radić, while Stipo Hrkač, who moved here from Canada, noted the positive aspects of Croatia in attracting digital nomads.
At the before and now panel Zvonimir Ancić of the Croatian Bishops’ Conference spoke of Croats that have relocated from the Janjevo region to Croatia, with many settling in Kistanje. Vid Kovačić and Mario Bara of the Croatian Catholic University spoke of remaining, surviving on, and returning to the island of Susak, a site of regular diaspora gatherings. Many of these people make extended annual stays on the Adriatic island, but few opt to repatriate. Rebeka Mesarić Žabčić and Ana Malnar spoke of their study of the relocation of Croatians to Austria, which has been since 1 July 2020 a new and attractive destination for Croatians.
An interesting part of the event were online links with Catholic missions abroad. The participants heard from friar Josip Koren who spoke of the sixty years of activity of the Croatian Catholic mission in Vienna. Golden jubilees were celebrated by the missions in Hamburg, London, Darmstadt, Aalen and Heidenheim. Speaking of their activities were friars Anto Bobaš and Ljubomir Šimunović and Nikolina Mesić. The role of our Catholic missions abroad has been and remains of great value, with the church remaining a place of gathering for our diaspora communities.
Day two of the event opened with a panel on migration policy. Tado Jurić, who has spent the last few years researching the latest wave of outward migration, characterising hopes of meaningful repatriation as wishful thinking. “For most repatriation, unfortunately, is not going to happen, while migration itself no longer produces the sense of happiness and fulfilment many expect,” Jurić noted. He presented the data on emigration out of Croatia during the former Yugoslav regime and that on the latest wave of outbound migration that followed Croatian accession to the European Union.
Other topics under discussion were culture and language as pillars of heritage and identity. In the discussion focused on the historical aspects, repatriates Stjepan Šulek and Vlado Glavaš spoke of their experiences, while Darija Hofgräff, Marin Knezović and Koraljka Kuzman Šlogar presented their specialist findings.
The current restrictions imposed due to the epidemiological concerns will see the culture and arts programme, gala dinner and other presentations staged in the spring of 2021 when the conditions allow for them.
Certainly laudable is the tireless team that has for the fourth time staged this diaspora event: Marin Sopta, Tanja Trošelj Miočević, Josipa Mijoč and Vlatka Lemić. (https://moja-domovina.net/)
Lead
The event participants were greeted by the director of the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences Željko Holjevac, the chair of the event programme and organisational committee Marin Sopta, the dean of the University of Osijek’s Faculty of Economics Boris Crnković, the rector of the University of Zagreb Damir Boras, the prorector of the University of Mostar Vlado Majstorović, the director of the Pastoral Directorate for Croats Abroad Tomislav Markić, state secretary Željka Josić of the Central State Office for Demography and Youth, CHF director Mijo Marić, and Dario Magdić, the deputy to the state secretary at the State Office for Croats Abroad.