Faculty of Croatian Studies at the 30th Forum of the Croatian National Minority

About Us

History classes at the Faculty of Croatian Studies of the University of Zagreb began during the 1997/1998 academic year. Currently, the Department of History offers classes at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate (doctoral) levels of study.

History studies at our faculty are organized according to the contemporary scientific and didactic standards. Over the course of the past academic years, our program undeqent a transition in order to adapt its own study program to students who whish to learn more about national history. The fundamental feature of our program is the strong connection with other national historical institutions (museums, Croatian Institute of History, etc.). This fact allows students to start modeling their own research interest in the areas of national history that interest them already during their undergraduate studies. At the graduate level, students are provided with thematic specialization through a large number of non-mandatory courses.

Although our program emphasizes Croatian history, it also includes the posibilitiy of profiling in various areas of world history: from ancient civilizations and societies to modern and contemporary history. This kind of profiling is open to students due to the wide topics of courses that are adapted to the various interests of students.

The Faculty of Croatian Studies of the University of Zagreb took part in the jubilee 30th Forum of the Croatian National Minority on 5 December 2025. The Forum was organised by the Croatian Heritage Foundation (HMI) and held in Zagreb under the title “Libraries and Social Networks of the Croatian Minority in the European Neighbourhood”. It brought together representatives of Croatian minority communities from 12 European countries, cultural professionals, experts and institutions responsible for diaspora affairs.

As part of the Forum, Associate Professor Vlatko Smiljanić, PhD, from the Departments of Croatology and History, delivered a presentation entitled “Local Rootedness and the Identity of Croats Abroad: A Croatological-Theoretical Framework”. He presented a theoretical model according to which local rootedness should be understood more broadly than as a purely geographical or administrative category — namely, as a complex category of cultural memory, belonging and identification.

According to his model, local rootedness is a key mediator between “small” local experiences and “grand” national narratives, particularly in the context of Croats living outside their homeland. Their identity can be understood only through the dynamic interaction between their place of origin, their new social environment and their symbolic homeland.

In his presentation, Professor Smiljanić also distinguished between the concepts of homeland history, local history and microhistory, while emphasising the importance of language, customs, religious practices, cultural institutions and family memory in the construction of identity. He also examined how the identity of Croatian emigrants and minority communities can be reproduced, reshaped or lost across generations, particularly in light of contemporary migration, transnational networks and digital communication.

In addition, Katarina Jelić, MA in Psychology, moderated Panel 2 on behalf of the Faculty of Croatian Studies, while the Dean of the Faculty, Associate Professor Dario Vučenović, PhD, served as a member of the Forum’s Programme Committee. This engagement confirms the Faculty’s and its experts’ continued commitment to promoting Croatological research, cultural identity and ties with Croatian communities outside the homeland.

The jubilee HMI Forum once again highlighted the importance of libraries and digital networks as guardians of the language, culture and identity of the Croatian minority in today’s transnational and digitalised world. The participation of the Faculty of Croatian Studies enriched the discussion with a specialised theoretical framework and called for a systematic and comprehensive approach to the study of local rootedness and identity in the diaspora.