| Abstrakt: | The dissertation The Croatian diaspora in Trieste (Chorwacka diaspora w Trieście),
provides the reader with an historical, political, cultural and linguistic perspective on the fates
of the Croatian people in Trieste. This respective diaspora belongs to a considerable community
of citizens of Croatian origin living in the Italian Republic.
Preparing a monograph about the Croatian diaspora in Trieste is a challenge and a rewarding
topic at the same time, which the author accepted, as he is convinced that it is essential
when describing the close ties between the Slavic civilization with the Roman and German
civilizations. This respective community was chosen for sociolinguistic research owing
to the attractiveness of its place of residence. The city of Trieste has always been in the center
of attention in European history from the very beginning, since it was a bastion of Western
civilization, playing a key role in the relations between neighboring nations, civilizations and
beliefs. Therefore, the city became -and still is- an attractive destination for numerous migrations
from close and remote places in the world.
The topic of migrating populations is a current social, political and especially economic
issue in the modern world. According to definitions in encyclopedias, migration is understood
as the journey of individuals with the aim to permanently change their place of residence.
The historical resettling of people is an entirely natural phenomenon which took place
at all times including the latest, which is intensified by complicated circumstances of economic,
political or climatic nature.
The Croatian people established their nation in turbulent and complicated historical
situations. During these times, they were exposed to various types of dangers and many took
the chance to resettle. According to official data, half of this population lives in the Croatian
Republic today whereas the other half is spread all over the world as a diaspora, which has
diverse status and life conditions. The Croatian diaspora of Trieste is one of them.
The discussed topic is vast and the present paper does not conclude research in this
matter, but rather opens it up for further discussion on its detailed issues. It lines up in a cycle
of monographs dedicated to contemporary Southern Slavic languages prepared at the Department
of Slavic Philology at the Faculty of Philology at the University of Silesia. |