ZAGREB, 5 Nov (Hina) – The Croatian Heritage Foundation (HMI) has published Milan Bošnjak’s book “Croatian National Minority – Status and Perspective”, in which the author addresses the socio-cultural aspects of the Croatian ethnic community in 12 countries across Central and Southeastern Europe.
The book, a collection of essays, articles, and studies, represents an attempt to conceptually define the Croatian minority since the democratic transformations in Europe in 1989, according to the publisher.
Bošnjak outlines the achievements of cross-border cultural, scientific, and educational cooperation between Croatia and people of Croatian descent, focusing on programmes by the State Office for Croats Abroad and the HMI dedicated to preserving identity, language, history, and culture.
The book examines Croatia’s institutional efforts to support its national minority in Europe, the complexity and socio-historical conditions of Croatian ethno-cultural communities, and the role of intergovernmental committees in protecting national minorities.
The Croatian minority resides in Austria, Bulgaria, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Italy, Kosovo, Hungary, Romania, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Serbia. This community has a quarter of a million members, represented by over 220 Croatian associations, with support from 15 diplomatic and consular missions.