Conference on Croatian Political Emigration Opened

At the Croatian Heritage Foundation in Zagreb, the 2nd Conference "History of Croatian Political Emigration in the 20th Century" has opened, gathering more than twenty historians, scientists, and researchers. Over two days, today and tomorrow, discussions will focus on the people, organizations, and events that marked the Croatian political diaspora, its role in the struggle for Croatian independence, and one of the more complex and still insufficiently researched chapters of Croatian history.

Understanding Croatian history is unimaginable without knowing the fates of those who, for various reasons, left their homeland, yet continued to act from abroad and maintain ties with the Croatian people. This is precisely at the center of the second scientific conference, organized by the Center for Research on Croatian Emigration, in co-organization with the Croatian Heritage Foundation, the Institute for Migration Research, and the Croatian Way of the Cross.

The conference was opened by Milan Kovač, President of the Governing Council of the Croatian Heritage Foundation; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marina Perić Kaselj, Director of the Institute for Migration Research; and Dr. Marin Sopta, President of the Center for Research on Croatian Emigration.

Special attention during the first day of the conference is dedicated to the Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood and Operation "Phoenix 72," the activities of the Croatian National Council, the archival legacy of Krunoslav Draganović, and Herzegovinian Franciscan emigrants. Presentations on these topics are being given by Dr. Marin Vlasnović, Dr. Tanja Trošelj Miočević, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vlatka Vukelić, and Dr. Hrvoje Mandić. The goal is to use a scientific approach to shed light on the activities of Croatian political emigrants, their organizations, and the circumstances in which they operated outside their homeland during the 20th century.

On the second day of the conference, November 12, the focus will be on prominent figures of Croatian political and cultural emigration and their contribution to preserving Croatian identity. Among the announced topics are the emigrant activities of the Kulenović family, the literary oeuvre of Vjenceslav Čižek, the significance of Ivo Lendić in Croatian culture, and the West's attitude toward the Croatian question through the example of the married couple Bušić. Participants will also speak about the activities of Jakša Kušan and Bogdan Radica, as well as Croatian political emigration in the context of the Cold War.

The President of the Center for Research on Croatian Emigration, Dr. Marin Sopta, emphasized the importance of systematically studying Croatian political emigration.

"The history of Croatian political emigration is an important and inseparable part of Croatian national history, and our goal is to encourage systematic, objective, and scientifically grounded research and to bring the people, organizations, and events that marked the Croatian diaspora during the 20th century closer to the general public. Knowing their history is important for understanding the processes that shaped today's Croatian society and statehood," Sopta stated.

The conference thus opens up space for new research, the exchange of scientific insights, and a better understanding of the role of the Croatian political diaspora in national history. The patron of the 2nd Conference "History of Croatian Political Emigration in the 20th Century" is the Central State Office for Croats Outside the Republic of Croatia.

Source: HRT