Preliminary notification and participation invitation
Mostar, June 30th – July 3rd 2022.
Center for studying Croatitan immigration - The Center organizes different proffessional and scientific gatherings dedicated to immigration while focusing on the trends present in both Crotian and its emigration around the world.
Join us
Nowadays there there are more Crotians and their decendats living in the emigration that there are Croatis in their homeland. However, the fact is that Croats from Croatia and Croats from the rest of the world do not know a lot about each other while their relationships are also often overwhelmed with stereotypes. Croatian national intersts are often not well defined, and neither are communal operation goals. In addition, the goal of this Congress is to reflect on the topics of communal global operations, new ways of connecting and networking, in order to create strong and globally influential community in political, economic, lobystic and promotional work and to be able to be more efficient in order for us to jointy work on accomlishing national goals, and when Bosnia and Herzegovina future is in question (as well as Croatia, which is a homeland to millions of Croats in and outside of it). Topics to cover and goals of the Congress connected to the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina....
THE MAIN TOPICS AT THE CONGRESS
1. Emigration: processes, main directions
This topic will cover the analysis of the emigration processes and broader demographic context under which they are taking place. I addition, we will show the connections between the metntioned processes with the events form the era of Serbian and the 2nd Yugoslavian agression and the era of the Croatian-Bosanian conflict (1992.-1994.)
2. Croats form Bosnia and Herzegovina in the emigration: communities in diaspora
This topic concentrates on the analysis of the data on prevalence, size, development capacities and support for the main community of the emigrated Croats form Bosnia and Herzegovina. We will also present the opinions of the most prominent individuals in the emigration on their relationship with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the land of their ancestors.
3. Emigration factors: external and internal
The focus of this topic will be the analysis of the external and internal factors which are catalyzing emmigration. One of the crutial external factors are, for example, political decisions of the international community and denying constitutional rights to the Croats of Bosina and Herzegovina, the blockage of development for some Croatian institutions, controversial decisions of the Republic of Croatia in relation to the rights of Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina and other. Internal factors on the other hand consis of, for example, primjerice, development disrepair, undeveloped institutions, lack of investment and corruption. Mentioned factors will be examined through the wider geoplotical context.
4. Cultural, external and national identity of the Croatian emigration form Bosina and Herzegovina: main roles, procedures
This topic encompasses the importance of cultural institutions, civil organisations, and the Catholic Church in keeping and cherishing the certain aspects of emigration's identity. We will also cover certain pseudomodern tendencies whcih have a role of destroying the identity of Croatis in Bosina and Herzegovina and the work of Croatian media in Bosina and Herzegovina.
5. Returnee perspective
Throughout the Congress we will present the mosot important results on studying the returnee politics. A lot of attention will be given to the relationship in the basic social asymetry: center-edge, center-perphery. The sole tendency of those relationships toward and to the benefit of central (Western) areas makes it harder for emigration to return. The clarification of the public policies which could successfully remove negative effects of the mentioned asymetry is well needed.
6. Relationship between Croats of Bosina and Herzegovinanad with ones in Republic of Croatia
Congress stats with the attention to tight connection between developmental and political future of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the relationship of the Republic of Croatia with them. The fact that the main emigrational focus of the Croats in Bosina and Herzegovina nowadays is the Republlic of Croatia who is also the signer of te Dayton contract. Based on the mentioned, Congress will analyze political, economic, social and cultural processes which connect Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia in more detail. Part of the analysis will also cover important differences which come out of the membership of Croatia in the European Union (Shengen borders).
7. New ways of connecting and networking between Croats in the Republice of Croatia, emigration and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Congress presumes that we do not take eough advanatage of the conecction between the two entities and that the connection should be strenghtened, on both local and global territories. In addtion, we will try to show such connection through the examples of successful countries (Isralel, Poland, Ireland..) and in the end suggest clear future steps in the processes of connecting Croats in Croatia, Bosian and Herzegovina, neighbouring countires and diaspora.
GOALS
Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina are, unfortunately, traditionaly an emigrantionaly oriented population. Emigration processes were extremely amplified during Serbian and 2nd Yugoslavian agressions toward Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The goal of the Congress is to clarify emaigrational processes and mechanisms which would strenghten them in the long term. In the same time it is important to keep in mind the context of negative demographic trends in the community.
In numerous (Western) countries Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina have formed strong emigrational communities whose members are also successful individuals who work in different areas; from science and culture to economics. The goal of the Congress is to pay more attention to their developmental potential and to the need for creating public policies of cooperation with communities in emigration. It is important to mention that the share of remittances of Croatian emigration from Bosina and Herzegovina to the government budget points out to the importance of cooperation.
Croats from Bosina and Herzegovina are not are not as big of a community and therefore constant emigration directly hurts its demographic stability as well as the crutial components of its cultural and national identity. The goal of the Congress is to point out to the importnace of Croatian cultural space and inheritance as crutial prerequsits for successful identity maintenance of Croats in Bosina and Herzegovina and their emigrational communities. That beigh said, what stands out is the centripetal role of Catholic Church and its parishes and missions around the World.
For emigrational communites of Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina and for Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina who are a constitutional nation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the relationship with the Republic of Croatia is really important. It has been seen in the past that the quality and the development of mentioned relationships often have influence on the decisions to emigrate Bosnia and Herzegovina. The goal of the Congress is to point out the need not only for the formal relationships but for the relationships which will prevent emigration through their developmental effects.
In comparison with the strenghts of emigrational processes the return of emigration to its homeland is getting lower in number and duration of stay as time goes by. That phenomenon is visible in the Croatian community in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well. The goal of the Congress is to point out the importance of creating returnee strategies and applicable public policies and the importance of creating politival, social, cultural, and economical climate which would raise an interest in emigrational communities to return home.
It is known how bad economical, cultural, and political factors in the coutry of origin catalyze the emigration. For a Croat in Bosnia and Herzegovina the country of origin is Bosnia and Herzegovina. The goal of the Congress is to point out to the crutial political, economical, and cultural mechanisms which should, in the long term, work as internal bedrock for Croatian returnees in Bosnia and Herzegovina and their successful integration in their country of origin.
RESOLUTION
Based on the paymets of the Congress participants a group of experts and public employees which will be present at the Congress will create the draft of congressional Resolution. The Resolution should summarize all the key suggesions and reccomendations which would based on the opinion of the Congress participants make it easier for creating public policies which would in the future help with the adequate governing.
Organizier
Centar za istraživanje Hrvatskog iseljeništva / Centre for Croatian diaspora Studies