Poles’ Identities In Croatia: From Members Of ‘Old’ Ethnic Minorities To Contemporary Migrants

Sa？etak Although Poles in Croatia have the status of ethnic minority and make up a community, field research based on qualitative methodology, which was conducted in Zagreb and Slavonia, has shown that this is quite a heterogeneous community due to different periods of immigration, types of and causes for immigration, levels of education and occupations (ranging from farmers and hired hands to women PhD holders). On the one hand, the descendants of Polish immigrants who arrived in Slavonia towards the end of the 19th century have been assimilated. It is important to them that their ancestry, their ancestors’ arrival and contribution to recipient society, are remembered in communication and cultural memory. On the other hand, during the second half of the 20th century mostly highly educated Polish women immigrated to Zagreb in order to marry Croats. In these families both identities are maintained and the Polish women are very active in the Polish Cultural Association where they have set up a school, publishing activities, a library and have organized numerous events in the contemporary Polish culture. They are maintaining their Polish identity in Zagreb, learning about Polish traditions and culture and teaching about it. These contemporary migrants promote the links between Poland and Croatia in various ways