This book represents a survey of the cultural and economic life of the Croatian people, who have long been noted for their significant contributions to the arts and the humanities. It contains a wealth of factual information on various aspects of one of the most interesting regions in Europe. The authors of the articles which make up this work are all specialists in their respective fields. They have compiled a scholarly review of many of the notable works by Croatian historians, political scientists, artists, and persons in other fields. There is also general information on various aspects of geography and demography, and statistics on population, ecology, religion, nationality and other important areas of Croatian life are included. Other important features are ten maps showing the administrative divisions of Yugoslavia and adjacent countries, and 32 pages of illustrations depicting folk arts, handicrafts, music, painting, sculpture and architecture. This reference work will be invaluable to libraries, and will be a useful source of information for historians, writers on Central European affairs, students of art and ethnic developments, and the layman interested in the Croatian people and their cultural history.

An expert guide to the present-day cultural life of Croatia and how it has been influenced by the nation's tumultuous past. Culture and Customs of Croatia offers an expert insider's look at a Balkan nation which, for the first time since the 12th century, is free to draw on its own traditions to determine its political, philosophical, and cultural identity. Culture and Customs of Croatia provides a comprehensive overview of Croatian art and culture with an emphasis on the historical factors contributing to contemporary Croatian life. An in-depth exploration of the country's past lays the groundwork for a discussion of a number of current issues, including progress towards EU membership, the expanding role of the Catholic Church, preservation of the country's World Heritage Sites, the growing popularity of the nation's Adriatic coastline as a beach vacation destination, and the complex, still reverberating legacy of the former Yugoslavia.

In his travels through Croatia, Tony Fabijancic saw a world of peasants, shepherds and fishermen irrevocably giving way to the new reality of a modern European state. With a deft and sure touch, he records moments that capture the lingering spirit of the old world even as the former fabric of this place is unravelling forever. The author’s profound familiarity with the "extraordinary regionality" of Croatia leads to memorable images of the country, and to sketches and unhurried ruminations on its people, its landscapes, kitchens, cities, and coastlines.

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. This book assesses the formation of Croatian national identity in the 1990s. It develops a novel framework, calling into question both primordial and modernist approaches to nationalism and national identity, before applying that framework to Croatia. In doing so, the book provides a new way of thinking about how national identity is formed and why it is so important. An explanation is given of how Croatian national identity was formed in the abstract, via a historical narrative that traces centuries of yearning for a national state. The book shows how the government, opposition parties, dissident intellectuals and diaspora groups offered alternative accounts of this narrative in order to legitimise contemporary political programmes based on different versions of national identity. It then looks at how these debates were manifested in social activities as diverse as football, religion, economics and language. This book attempts to make an important contribution to both the way we study nationalism and national identity, and our understanding of post-Yugoslav politics and society.

First published in 1967. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.