The Croatian Diaspora in North America: Identity, ethnic solidarity, and the formation of a "transnational national community"

International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society

Volumn 17, Issue 1, 2003, Pages 113-130

  Djuric, Ivana ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

Croatian Diaspora; Croatian Fraternal Union; Discourse analysis; Ethnic mobilization; Ethnic solidarity; Identity; North America; Transnational national community

Indexed keywords

EID: 4143058167     PISSN: 08914486     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1023/A:1025393027724     Document Type: Review

References (87)

1. Loring M. Danforth, The Macedonian Conflict (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1995), 80.
2. Robin Cohen, Global Diasporas: An Introduction (London: UCL Press, 1997), 23-26,
3. Hugh Seton-Watson, Nations and States (London: Basil Blackwell, 1979.
4. Arjun Appadurai, cited in Danforth, Macedonian Conflict, 80-81.
5. See Benedict Anderson, Long Distance Nationalism: World Capitalism and the Rise of Identity Politics (Berkely, Calif.: Center for German and European Studies, 1992); and idem, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (London: Verso, 1983).
6. See Benedict Anderson, Long Distance Nationalism: World Capitalism and the Rise of Identity Politics (Berkely, Calif.: Center for German and European Studies, 1992); and idem, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (London: Verso, 1983).
7. Danforth, Macedonian Conflict, 80.
8. According to the 1991 census, there were 4,784,265 inhabitants in Croatia (Croatian State Bureau of Statistics, http://www.dzs.hr). In the 2001 census, the population decreased to 4,437,460.
9. "The CFU distributes its bulletin Zajednicar (Fraternalist) free of charge to over 40,000 addresses in North America." Open letter to the friends and alumni of the University of Zagreb, Fraternalist, September 26, 1990, 2.
10. For example, there is an article on the 160th birthday anniversary of Dr. Ante Starčević in the Fraternalist, June 22, 1983, 12.
11. The 310th commemoration of Katarina Zrinski's death, June 28, 1983: 12.
12. Anthony D. Smith, National Identity (London: Penguin Books, 1991).
13. Bleiburg is the place near the Austrian-Slovenian border where the Ustashi army that surrendered to the Western Allies in May 1945 was passed back to Tito's partisans and slaughtered. During the Socialist period, mention of this event was forbidden.
14. Another widely discussed issue was the exact number of people murdered by the Ustashi in the Jasenovac concentration camp during World War II. See Tomislav Sabljak, "Žrtve drugog svjetskog rata" (Victims of World War II), Fraternalist, August 2, 1989, 15.
15. The Croatian Spring was a mass movement, uniting Croatian cultural organization Matica Hrvatska, the Zagreb students, and Croatian Communist Party during 1968-71. The movement's "nationalist content still posed the first serious challenge to the Comunist leadership's political monopoly in postwar Yugoslavia." John R. Lampe, Yugoslavia as History: Twice there was a country (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 292. Finally, it was broken up in 1971 when many involved were imprisoned for the threat they posed to the Yugoslav federation. See Vinko Grubišić, "Hrvatsko proljeće: dvadesetak godina kasnije" (The Croatian Spring: Twenty Years Later), Fraternalist, November 1, 1989, 13-14.
16. The Croatian Spring was a mass movement, uniting Croatian cultural organization Matica Hrvatska, the Zagreb students, and Croatian Communist Party during 1968-71. The movement's "nationalist content still posed the first serious challenge to the Comunist leadership's political monopoly in postwar Yugoslavia." John R. Lampe, Yugoslavia as History: Twice there was a country (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 292. Finally, it was broken up in 1971 when many involved were imprisoned for the threat they posed to the Yugoslav federation. See Vinko Grubišić, "Hrvatsko proljeće: dvadesetak godina kasnije" (The Croatian Spring: Twenty Years Later), Fraternalist, November 1, 1989, 13-14.
17. The monument is a historical symbol of the Croatian struggle for freedom in the nineteenth century. It was finally returned to the main square in Zagreb on May 23, 1990. Initially, the horseman's sword pointed north, symbolizing Croatian resistance to Hungary and Austria, while today it points south. See "Spomenik banu Jelačiću" (The Ban Jelacic Monument), Fraternalist, October 10, 1989, 12.
18. The importance of the 1980 and 1981 censuses lies in the fact that it was the first to ask about ethnic origin and mother tongue, in order to provide an estimation of the numerical strength of each ethnic community within the USA and Canada. The Fraternalist editorialized: "The census is important because it will reveal for the first time how many people of Croatian, Serb, Slovene and other Slav origins are in both countries... In the past, many of our people were covered by the blanket 'Austro-Hungarian' ethnic tag and our number, as a result, were diffused." "Census in Canada," Fraternalist, 3 June, 1981, 2.
19. "The dutiful and necessary response of all people of Croatian descent is to reply 'Croatian,' in order to identify oneself as a proud descendent of Croatian lineage." "American Croatians to Fill In 1980 Census," Fraternalist, July 26, 1980, 1.
20. "Report," Fraternalist, April 16, 1982, 17.
21. "Plans are for public discussions on this subject and there is a proposal that the official language be 'Croatian and Serbian'... Only for the Republic of Croatia is there a proposal for an official dual language, so if such a proposal is good for Croatia, why isn't it also proposed for all the other Republics of Yugoslavia?" "About Our Society That Cares," Fraternalist, December 14, 1988, 2.
22. "About Our Croatian Language," Fraternalist, April 6, 1988, 2.
23. "Katedra Hrvatskog Jezika i Kulture" (The Department of Croatian Language and Culture), Fraternalist, March 4, 1987, 14.
24. "Croatian 'Voice' Needed," Fraternalist, August 2, 1989, 2.
25. "Letter To The Editor," Fraternalist, September 13, 1989, 2.
26. Voice of America-International Broadcasting Bureau, http://www.voa.gov/ croatian.
27. "Letter To The Editor," Fraternalist, July 15, 1992, 2.
28. The other reason was to avoid public discords over the issue among the CFU's own membership streams of "moderates" (a large and influential 'old guard' supportive of the idea of workers' solidarity as well as Yugoslav brotherhood, who strongly opposed any divisions and especially on a religious ground) and a more radical group of 'newcomers' (those who immigrated after World War II).
29. See case studies on this topic: Josip Kumpes, "Napomene o religiji, crkvi i etničkom identitetu (na primjeru Hrvata u Madjarskoj)" (Remarks on Religion and Ethnic Identity [The Case of Croats in Hungary]), Migracijske teme 6, 3 (Zagreb: 1990): 363-70; and Mirjana Domini, "Gradišćanski Hrvati-zajedništvo usprkos granica (osvrt na sudbinu ogranka gradišćanskih Hrvata u Madjarskoj)" (The Gradisce Croats-Unity Despite Borders [Remarks on the Fate of the Gradisce Croat Branch in Hungary]), ibid., 325-34.
30. See case studies on this topic: Josip Kumpes, "Napomene o religiji, crkvi i etničkom identitetu (na primjeru Hrvata u Madjarskoj)" (Remarks on Religion and Ethnic Identity [The Case of Croats in Hungary]), Migracijske teme 6, 3 (Zagreb: 1990): 363-70; and Mirjana Domini, "Gradišćanski Hrvati-zajedništvo usprkos granica (osvrt na sudbinu ogranka gradišćanskih Hrvata u Madjarskoj)" (The Gradisce Croats-Unity Despite Borders [Remarks on the Fate of the Gradisce Croat Branch in Hungary]), ibid., 325-34.
31. George J. Prpic, "The Croatians in Greater Cleveland," typescript, 1985, copy in Croatian National Library, p. 8. Also published in The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, ed. V. Van Tassle and John Grabowski (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987).
32. George J. Prpic, "The Croatians in Greater Cleveland," typescript, 1985, copy in Croatian National Library, p. 8. Also published in The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, ed. V. Van Tassle and John Grabowski (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987).
33. "Posjet kard. Kuharića i msgr. Stankovića Hrvatima u dijaspori" (Cardinal Kuharic and Msgr. Stankovic Visit the Croatian Diaspora), Fraternalist, January 23, 1991, 11, 13.
34. "Iseljenički dan-28.12.1986" (The Diaspora Day-28.12.1986), Fraternalist, January 28, 1987, 14, 18.
35. Fraternalist, February 22, 1984, 20.
36. Fraternalist, November 4, 1987, 20.
37. "Letter to the Editor," Fraternalist, November 29, 1989, 2.
38. "Suradnja s Domovinom" (Cooperation with the Homeland), Fraternalist, September 1987.
39. "Open Letter to the Friends and Alumni of the University of Zagreb," Fraternalist, September 26, 1990, 2.
40. I b i d.
41. I b i d.
42. Marcus Tanner, Croatia: A Nation Forged in War (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1997), 207.
43. Ibid, 1 212.
44. Fraternalist, January 18, 1985.
45. For example, Ante Beljo's article on Croat victims during World War II, Fraternalist, February 22, 1989, 12, 14.
46. "Editorial," Fraternalist, January 30, 1985, 2.
47. This is revealed in the following quotation: However, May 1945 is remembered in Croatia as the month of the terrible slaughter of imprisoned soldiers and civilians turned over to the Yugoslav Army by the Western Allies. Remembrance of this suffering is closely connected with Bleiburg and a forced death march referred to as 'The Way of the Cross'... On the other hand, actions taken by the regime in Croatia, founded on an ideology of racial and national exclusivity, led to vengeance and indefensible acts that must be called crimes. "Croatian Bishops Recall the End of the Second World War," Fraternalist, May 10, 1995, 4, 21.
48. "The Ustashi wanted only to liberate their country from the Serbian yoke and be independent, which they once were when they had their own kings etc. Their goal was separation from Yugoslavia. It can be compared to the struggle of the Basques in Spain or the Kurds in Turkey or the Armenians in Turkey or the Irish in Ulster. A nation without its independence is like a homeless person living in someone else's home as a servant or slave." "Letter to the Editor, 'A Brief Historical Review of the First 50 CFU Years," Fraternalist, June 3, 1987, 2.
49. "Pregled vijesti: Bratstvo i nacionalizam" (News Review: Brotherhood and Nationalism), Fraternalist, August 19, 1987, 21.
50. "Croatian solidarity-all for one and one for all-is our Croatian motto even more today than it ever was in the past. We are the sons of former Croatian domobrans, partisans, Ustashi and who knows what other colors and camps-we respect them as our fathers, but adamantly refuse to repeat their suicidal fights no matter how much some individuals will be angry with us." Ante Beljo, "Pisma" (Letters), Fraternalist, October 28, 1987, 16.
51. Draža Mihailović was a Serbian Chetnick commander, and his troops rescued two American pilots who crashed in Yugoslavia during World War II.
52. "We Dare Not Honor Traitors," Fraternalist, February 6, 1985, 1-2.
53. "Povampireno četništvo" (The Vampire-like Chetnicks), Fraternalist, January 8 and January 15, 1986, 14; and "We Don't Want Any State of Yours," ibid., February 26, 1986:,4.
54. "Povampireno četništvo" (The Vampire-like Chetnicks), Fraternalist, January 8 and January 15, 1986, 14; and "We Don't Want Any State of Yours," ibid., February 26, 1986:,4.
55. "Letters to the Editor," Fraternalist, January 9, 1985, 2.
56. "A Brief Historical Review of the First 50 CFU Years," Fraternalist, June 3, 1987, 2.
57. In Croatian-Hrvatska demokratska zajednica (HDZ).
58. "Pogledi i misli o Hrvatskoj" (Views and Thoughts on Croatia), Fraternalist, March 21, 1990, 12.
59. "Tudjman Plans Sovereign State," Fraternalist, June 6, 1990, 4.
60. "Freedom and Democracy," Fraternalist, February 14, 1990, 2.
61. "Pismo HDZ Saboru Hrvatske" (The CDU's Letter to the Croatian Assembly), The Fraternalist, 12 December, 1989, 8.
62. "Tko može glasati na izborima u Hrvatskoj?" (Who Can Vote in the Elections in Croatia?), Fraternalist, March 28, 1990, 13.
63. Fraternalist, October 2, 1991:,13.
64. "A Brief Historical Review of the First 50 CFU Years," Fraternalist, June 3, 1987, 25.
65. "President Luketich Interviewed By Voice of America," Fraternalist, September 11, 1991, 15.
66. A fund-raising campaign in Los Angeles and San Pedro, California to raise money to buy uniforms for Croatian soldiers raised $55,000. See Fraternalist, November 20, 1991, 14.
67. "We ask that you serve as witnesses and interpreters in your respective countries... If you can, in any way, please influence the White House and Official Representatives of the US Government because the People of Europe are waiting to see what the BIG BROTHER has to say." Ante Kločinović speech. "Minutes: 18th Quadrennial Convention Monday, September 16, 1991," Fraternalist, January 8, 1992. Another appeal, "Hrvatima u Sad i Kanadi" (To Croatians in the USA and Canada), was issued by the Croatian government, urging the Croatian diaspora to inform their local, state and federal authorities about the situation in Croatia. Fraternalist, July 3, 1991, 14.
68. "We ask that you serve as witnesses and interpreters in your respective countries... If you can, in any way, please influence the White House and Official Representatives of the US Government because the People of Europe are waiting to see what the BIG BROTHER has to say." Ante Kločinović speech. "Minutes: 18th Quadrennial Convention Monday, September 16, 1991," Fraternalist, January 8, 1992. Another appeal, "Hrvatima u Sad i Kanadi" (To Croatians in the USA and Canada), was issued by the Croatian government, urging the Croatian diaspora to inform their local, state and federal authorities about the situation in Croatia. Fraternalist, July 3, 1991, 14.
69. Zajedno do promocije Hrvatske" (Together for Croatian Promotion), Fraternalist, February 9, 1994, 11.
70. "Humanitarian Aid For Croatia," Fraternalist, July 31, 1991, 2.
71. The fund "actually was started in May by members of a Croatian Youth Theater group 'Marin Drzic', from Berlin, Germany." "Humanitarian Aid," Fraternalist, August 7, 1991, 2.
72. "Aid Fund Grows," Fraternalist, September 4, 1991, 2.
73. "Glas Hrvata-kao jedan glas" (All Croats As One), Fraternalist, June 30, 1993, 11.
74. Fraternalist, July 1, 1992.
75. Daniele Conversi, "Moral Relativism and Equidistance," in This Time We Knew: Western Responses to War in Bosnia, ed. Thomas Cushman and Stjepan Gabriel Mestrovic (New York: New York University Press, 1996).
76. Danforth, Macedonian Conflict, 80
77. Ibid., 80.
78. Ibid., 91.
79. Ibid., 80.
80. Ibid., 80-81
81. Nenad Antonić, "E-mail Bridges The Ocean," Fraternalist, March 25, 1992, 17.
82. "Direktno iz Zagreba: Slušajte dnevnu jednosatnu emisiju" (Direct from Croatia: Listen 1 hour Daily News Program), Fraternalist, September 11, 1991, 14.
83. Vladimir P. Goss, "Radio Zagreb Helps Create True Image of Croatia," Fraternalist, December 23, 1992: 19.
84. "Fast and qualitative information from the homeland is of extreme importance for all Croatian emigrants who want to participate and contribute to Croatia's economical prosperity." Ante Beljo, "Projekt satelitske veze sa Hrvatskom" (The Satellite Connection Project), Fraternalist, March 16, 1994, 12.
85. Milan N. Popp, "Letter to the Editor," Fraternalist, August 25, 1993, 27.
86. "President's Column - About Our Society That Cares," Fraternalist, June 24, 1992, 2.
87. "Dijaspora iznad strančarenja" (Diaspora Beyond Partisan Quarrels), Fraternalist, September 7, 1994, 15.