The forum pooled over thirty participants from seven countries lecturing on identity and its historical roots in the Croatian minority enclaves and broader communities. The opening lecture was given by Stjepan Blažetin of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Pécs in neighbouring Hungary.
The theme of the 25th Croatian Minorities Forum was the History and Identity of Croatian Minority Communities. Taking part in the forum, staged on 29 November by host the Croatian Heritage Foundation, were over thirty participants from seven countries lecturing on identity and its historical roots in the Croatian minority enclaves and broader communities.
On hand to welcome everyone were CHF deputy director Ivan Tepeš, attending on behalf of CHF director Marić; Milan Bošnjak, attending on behalf of the Croatian Prime Minister; and Vladimir Lončarević, attending on behalf of the President of the Republic.
The opening lecture was given by Stjepan Blažetin of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Pécs in neighbouring Hungary. Blažetin warned that in preserving their identity the minority communities could not depend on the national authorities of the countries in which they live, as they, in the final tally, have the assimilation of minorities as their objective. Particularly indicative in this regard are the history teaching curricula for Croatian minority enclaves/communities.
The lectures that followed also delved into the issue of history textbooks for Croatian minority communities, the historical experiences of individual communities, the controversial events that shaped the futures of Croatian minority enclaves, and other topics.
In its conclusions the 25th Croatian Minorities Forum on the History and Identity of Croatian Minority Communities identified the following activity priorities:
- Greater integration of the body of Croatian national history with that of the histories of the Croatian indigenous minority enclaves in the school history curricula in the countries in which Croatian minority groups live.
- Greater attention to topics from recent history in the teaching of history in the Croatian minority communities, taking into account the context of local experiences.
- Integration of the history and culture of the Croatian minority communities in the teaching curriculum in Croatia.
- Greater emphasis on the contribution of members of the Croatian minority communities to research development, and the political and societal life of Croatia.
- Raising awareness about and promoting the fact that the culture and history of the Croatian minority communities are an integral part of a single Croatian culture and history.
By: Marin Knezović
Photography: Snježana Radoš & Hrvoje Salopek