In Search of Identity: The Burgenland-Croatian Perspective

Sa？etak Burgenland Croats are members of a Croatian minority who have been living in Austria and neighbouring countries for more than 500 years. In contrast to some Croatian minorities in other countries, in which various assimilatory processes are already visible in the second or third generation, the Burgenland Croats have managed to preserve their language, culture and tradition for several centuries. This paper aims to give an insight into the strategies of identity construction in this Croatian community. The main issues we are dealing with are collective versus individual identity, and how this identity or identities are constructed. Two perspectives were taken into consideration: the perspective of Burgenland Croats and the perspective(s) of outsiders: whether they are Austrians, people from other (neighbouring) countries or Croats from the ‘old homeland’