ISSUE No. 57
Fall 2011
IN THIS ISSUE
President‘s Note………................ …1 Panel Summaries………..…….…1-4
A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Frano Prcela...……...……..............4-7 ACS Members & Friends...............7-8
Dear ACS Members and Friends,
Featured Websites………………..8-9
The 2011 ASEEES Convention will take place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC, November 17th -20th. The convention theme is ―Authorities,‖ and we are happy to announce that the ACS will be presenting several interesting panels on this and other themes. It is particularly encouraging to see that, despite economic difficulties, collaboration between scholars on the American and Croatian shores remains vibrant and that several panels will host our colleagues from overseas. The full listing of the panels pertaining to Croatia is included in this Bulletin.
Books & Reviews.…….…................9 In Memoriam………….…………..10 Membership Dues…..……….…….11
ASSOCIATION FOR CROATIAN STUDIES The ACS is a professional organization dedicated to the advancement of scholarly studies related to Croatia and the Croatians. The ACS was founded in 1977 and it is affiliated with the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). Officers: Aida Vidan—President John Kraljic—Vice-President Ivo Soljan—Secretary Ellen Elias-Bursać—Treasurer Newsletter Editor: Nancy Crenshaw
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SLAVIC STUDIES The ASEEES (formerly AAASS) represents scholarship in the field of Russian, Central Eurasian, Central and East European studies. The association has twenty-eight affiliates that are concerned with particular topics, areas, or peoples within the field. The ASEEES publishes the quarterly journal Slavic Review. http://www.aseees.org
I am pleased to let you know that the Croatian Embassy in Washington will host a reception for ACS members and their guests on Friday, November 18 from 6-8 p.m. in the Croatian Embassy Building at 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20008. Our business meeting will take place the following day, Saturday, November 19, 2:45-4:30 p.m., in
the Council Room of the Omni Shoreham Hotel. We will discuss our collaborative efforts with the Croatian Academy of America towards making Croatian culture more visible in Western academic circles and, as usual, we will consider proposals for next year‘s conference. ACS members, friends, and anyone interested in Croatian studies are invited to the meeting. I look forward to seeing you in Washington. Aida Vidan ASEEES CONVENTION 2011 PANELS PERTAINING to CROATIA and BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA Session 1 • THURSDAY 1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. 1-33 Political Processes in the Western Balkans after 2000 Suite 315 Chair: Ron Linden, U of Pittsburgh Papers: Andrew Konitzer, U of Pittsburgh, ―Small Parties and the Collapse of Oversized Coalitions: The Cases of Serbia and Croatia;‖ Jim Seroka, Auburn U, ―Assessing Regional Security and Foreign Policy Integration Efforts in the Western Balkans;‖ Paula M. Pickering, College of William & Mary, ―How Local and International Forces Shape the Outcome of Local Governance Reforms in the Western Balkans‖ Disc.: Mila Dragojevic, The U of the South
Session 2 • THURSDAY 3:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. 2-03 Identity Formation and Political Conflict in Eastern Europe
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- Blue Room Pre-Function Chair: Florian Bieber, U of Graz (Austria) Papers: Vjekoslav Perica, U of Rijeka (Croatia), ―Foreign Intervention and Local Identity: The Cultural Impact of the U.S. Humanitarian/Peacekeeping Operation in Spalato, Dalmatia, 19191921;‖ Magdalena Dembinska, U of Montreal (Canada), ―A Nation in the Making? Elite Identity Discourse and Societal Responsiveness in Transnistria;‖ Mila Dragojevic, Sewanee: The U of the South, ―The Salience of Invisible Social Boundaries: Refugees and Locals in Serbia‖ Disc.: Pamela Ballinger, Bowdoin College Francesco Moro, Università degli Studi di Firenze (Italy)
2-31 Long Term Performance of the Banking Sector in Eastern Europe in the Context of Crisis Impact (from Interwar Period to Current Crisis) - Suite 268 Chair: Raymond Miller, Bowdoin College Papers: Zarko Lazarevic, Inst for Contemporary History (Slovenia), ―Banking Performance in Eastern Europe in the Interwar Period;‖ Stephan Barisitz, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austria), ―CrisisResponse Policies in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus - Stocktaking and Comparative Assessment;‖ Evan Kraft, Croatian National Bank (Croatia), ―Banking in Southeastern Europe: from Boom to Crisis‖ Disc.: John R. Lampe, U of Maryland
2-14 Public and Private Spaces in Socialist and Post-socialist Cities Embassy Room Chair: Emily Gunzburger Makas, UNC at Charlotte Papers: Veronica Aplenc, Rosemont College, ―Private Enclaves in Planned Socialist Public Space(s): StateOwned Apartments, Illegal Construction, and Personal Gardens in 1960s-1980s Slovenia;‖ Maroje Mrduljas, Zagreb U (Croatia), ―Contemporary Croatian Architecture: Testing Reality;‖ Sonia A. Hirt, Virginia Tech, ―Public and Private in Socialism and After: Spatial Dynamics as a Reflection of Cultural Changes‖ Disc.: Katya Makarova, U of Virginia
Session 3 • THURSDAY 5:00 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.
2-21 Teaching and Researching CE and SE Europe at Regional and Non-Title VI Universities (Roundtable) Presidential Boardroom Chair: Jeffrey Pennington, Inst of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies; UC Berkeley Part.: Melissa Bokovoy, U of New Mexico; Jill A. Irvine, U of Oklahoma; Sarah A. Kent, U of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Carol Lilly, U of Nebraska at Kearney
3-15 Funding Opportunities for Researchers and Students (Roundtable) - Empire Ballroom Chair: Beth Holmgren, Duke U Part.: Cynthia Buckley, U of Texas at Austin; Dan E. Davidson, American Councils for International Education; Robert T. Huber, NCEEER; Ed Roslof, CIES; Joyce Warner, IREX 3-28 Peace at the Local Level: Microhistories of the Transition from War to Peace - Suite 253 Chair: Maria Todorova, U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Papers: Steven Del Corso, U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, ―Knin: From Ethnic Serbian Town to Medieval Croatian Capital;‖ Anca Glont, U of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, ―No More Sacrifice for the Motherland: the 1918 Jiu Mining Strike and Negotiating Labor in Peacetime;‖ Svitlana Frunchak, U of Toronto (Canada), ―Difficult Peace: Soviet Takeover, Holocaust Survivors, and Jewish Culture in Postwar Chernivtsi, 1944-1949‖ Disc.: James W. Frusetta, HampdenSydney College
Session 4 • FRIDAY
8:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. 4-21 Their Authority, Our Freedom: Croatian Culture Between the East and the West Presidential Boardroom Chair: Sarah A. Kent, U of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Papers: Nives Rumenjak, U of Pittsburgh, ―Heroes or Outlaws? The Triple Border‘s Uskoks and Hajduks in 19th-Century Croatian Literature;‖ Ivo Soljan, Grand Valley State U, ―Chains and Wings: Oppression and Freedom in Croatian Poetry;‖ Aida Vidan, Harvard U, ―Captive Maidens and Conquered Lands: Public vs. Hidden Narratives in Croatian Renaissance Drama and Moreška‖ Disc.: Larry Wolff, New York U 4-22 From Debacle to Rebellion: New Research on the April War and the Communist Uprising in Yugoslavia 1941 - Senate Room Chair: Michael Eoghan Allen, Rutgers U Papers: Mario Jareb, Croatian Inst of History (Croatia), ―Chetniks or Partisans? The Character of the Uprising of July 27, 1941, in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina;‖ John Kraljic, Croatian Academy of America, ―‘Down With the Imperialist War!‘—The Reaction of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia to the Fall and Occupation of Yugoslavia;‖ Hrvoje Capo, Croatian Inst of History (Croatia), ―Those Who Swore: Croatian Soldiers of the Royal Yugoslav Army in the April War of 1941‖ Disc.: John Paul Newman, U College Dublin (Ireland) 4-29 Language Contact at the Margins: New Approaches to Southeast Europe - Suite 263 Chair: Amanda Greber, U of Toronto (Canada) Papers: Cammeron Girvin, UC, Berkeley, ―Shared Balkan Proverbs: A Sprachbund Phenomenon?‖; Eric Heath Prendergast, UC, Berkeley, ―Contested Grammars—Contested Identities: Object Reduplication in the Republic of Macedonia;‖ Andrew Dombrowski, U of Chicago, ―From
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Prizren to Novgorod: Slavic and NonSlavic in Russia and Kosovo‖ Disc.: Lenore Grenoble, U of Chicago
Session 5 • FRIDAY 10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. 5-29 Female Politicians in Croatia: A New Authority? - Suite 263 Chair: Tatjana Bujas Lorkovic, Yale U Papers: Ljiljana Saric, U of Oslo (Norway), ―Ideology and Evaluation in Text and Image: Croatian Media Presentations of the Prime Minister;‖ Vesna Kesic, Freelance Journalist/Independent Scholar, ―Women in Politics: Doing and Talking;‖ Mirjana Nelson Dedaic, Georgetown U, ―Metaphoric Construction of Female Politicians in the Croatian Print Media‖ Disc.: Nanette Funk, CUNY, Brooklyn College
Session 6 • FRIDAY 2:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. 6-12 The Diffusion of Economic Reforms in Eastern Europe Diplomat Ballroom Papers: Mitchell A. Orenstein, Johns Hopkins U, SAIS, ―Policy Diffusion Pathways: Explaining the Spread of Pension Privatization and Flat Tax;‖ Juliet Johnson, McGill U (Canada), ―Dangerous Diffusion?: Postcommunist Central Banking and the Financial Crisis;‖ Rachel Epstein, U of Denver, ―Policy Diffusion and Foreign Bank Ownership in Central and Eastern Europe‖ Disc.: Bojan Bulgaric, U of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Milada Anna Vachudova, UNC at Chapel Hill 6-17 Violence: Theory and Practice - Forum Room Papers: John Paul Newman, U College Dublin (Ireland), ―War and Charismatic Authority in Yugoslavia: Stjepan Radic and Aleksandar Karadjodjevic;‖ James Ryan, U College Cork (Ireland), ―Lenin as a Theorist of Violence;‖ Susan Grant, U College Dublin (Ireland), ―Care and Compassion in a Violent Society: Nurses in Soviet Russia, 1918-1922‖ Disc.: Joshua Sanborn, Lafayette
College
Session 7 • FRIDAY 4:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. 7-11 The Shifty Balkans? Debating Multinationality and Transient Loyalties in the (Post-) Ottoman Balkans (Roundtable) - Council Room Chair: Pieter Judson, Swarthmore College Part.: Max Bergholz, U of Toronto (Canada); Keith S. Brown, Brown U; Theodora Dragostinova, Ohio State U; Emily Greble, City College of New York; Alex Stoyanov Toshkov, Columbia U 7-23 Language Decay or Language Revitalization? The Case of Minor Slavic Languages between the Languages of Authority - Suite 153 Chair: Matthew C Curtis, Ohio State U Papers: Sabine Pawischitz, U of Vienna (Austria), ―Language Decay in Burgenland-Croatian: A Comparative Analysis of the Use of the Perfective Aspect in Present Tense in Burgenland-Croatian and Standard Croatian;‖ Tomasz Dominik Kamusella, Cracow U of Economics (Poland), ―Vacillating Language Decay or Language (Re-)Generation in the Slavic-Germanic Community in Upper Silesia: Noticing and Standardizing Silesian;‖ Motoki Nomachi, Hokkaido U (Japan), ―The Grammaticalization of Kashubian Perfects: Between German and Polish Grammar‖ Disc.: Wayles Browne, Cornell U
Session 8 • SATURDAY 8:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. 8-23 Current Trends in Bosnian Cinema - Suite 153 Chair: Raisa Sidenova, Yale U Papers: Maria Hristova, Yale U, ―Geography of Ethnic Conflict in New Bosnian Cinema;‖ Natasa Milas, Yale U, ―Laughter in the Dark: Danis Tanovic and Bosnian Film;‖ Zdenko Mandusic, U of Chicago, ―Scarred Bodies, Hidden Hope: Positions of Identification in the Films of Jasmila
Zbanic‖ Disc.: Aida Vidan, Harvard U
Session 9 • SATURDAY 10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. 9-26 New Research in South Slavic Linguistics - Suite 209 Chair: Elisabeth Elliott, Northwestern U Papers: Amanda Greber, U of Toronto (Canada), ―Good Language, Good Citizen—Language and the Shaping of Identity;‖ James Joshua Pennington, Ohio State U, ―Doubleedged Allomorphy in BosnianCroatian-Serbian: An ‗Official‘ Novohrvatism and an ‗Unofficial‘ Sociolinguistic Variable;‖ Anita PetiStantić, Faculty of Humanities and social Sciences, U of Zagreb, ―Is There a Language Academy in Croatia?‖ Disc.: Andrea Dorothy Sims, Ohio State U
Session 10 • SATURDAY 12:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. 10-11 Encounters between Central and South Eastern Europe in Modern History (Roundtable) Council Room Chair: Irina Livezeanu, U of Pittsburgh Part.: Ulf Brunnbauer, U of Regensburg (Germany); Patrice M. Dabrowski, U of Massachusetts, Amherst; Alex Drace-Francis, U College London (UK); Malgorzata Fidelis, U of Illinois at Chicago; Irina Dimitrova Gigova, College of Charleston
Session 11 • SATURDAY 2:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Association for Croatian Studies - (Meeting) - Council Room 11-15 The End of Yugoslavia: Perspectives on Real-time Analysis Twenty Years Later (Roundtable) Empire Ballroom Chair: Robert M. Hayden, U of Pittsburgh Part.: Steven L. Burg, Brandeis U; Robert Donia, U of Michigan; David Kanin, CENTRA Technology/Johns
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Hopkins U; Susan L. Woodward, The Graduate Ctr, CUNY
Session 12 • SATURDAY 4:45 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. 12-32 International Assistance: Lessons from the Balkans—Suite 300 Chair: Jon Western, Mt. Holyoke College Papers: Jill A. Irvine, U of Oklahoma and Patrice McMahon, U of Nebraska, Lincoln, ―American Aid to the Balkans: Lessons for Afghanistan;‖ Valerie Bunce, Cornell U, and Sharon Wolchik, George Washington U, ―When Democracy Assistance Works;‖ Jill Benderly, School for Intl Training/World Learning, ―International Assistance, Local Impact‖ Disc.: Andrew Konitzer, U of Pittsburgh; Julie Mostov, Drexel U
ASEEES Awards Presentation and President’s Address (open to all) – 7:30 PM - Blue Room Bruce Grant, New York U, will deliver the President‘s Address
Session 13 • SUNDAY 08:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. 13-34 EU in search of a Balkan Policy (Roundtable) - Suite 368 Chair: John Kraljic, Croatian Academy of America Part.: Djuro Njavro, Zagreb School of Economics and Management (Croatia); Branko Salaj, Zagreb School of Economics and Management (Croatia); Franjo Topic, Theological Faculty; Davor Vidas, The Fridtjof Nansen Inst (Norway); Ivan Grdešić, Faculty of Political Science, Zagreb (Croatia)
Session 14 • SUNDAY 10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. 14-10 Rebelling against Zagreb: Reflections on the War in Croatia, 1991-1995 - Congressional B Chair: Susan Smith, Independent Scholar Papers: Davor Paukovic, Center for Political Research (Croatia), ―Croatia
between Democratic Transition and War;‖ Vjeran Pavlakovic, U of Rijeka (Croatia), ―Sites of Memory on the Road to War: WW2 Commemorative Culture in Croatia, 1985-1995;‖ John E. Ashbrook, Sweet Briar College, ―Storming to Partition: Croatia, the United States, and Krajina in the Yugoslav War‖ Disc.: Jared Manasek, Columbia U
Session 15 • SUNDAY 12:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. 15-18 Staging Memories of Yugoslavia: Narratives, Practices, Representations—Governor’s Boardroom Papers: Tanja Petrovic, Scientific Research Ctr of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences & Arts (Slovenia), ―Army Stories Getting Staged: Post-1990 Literary and Film Representations of the JNA Service;‖ Martin Pogacar, Slovenian Academy of Sciences & Arts (Slovenia), ―Youtube and Post-Yugoslav Memories of Anti-fascism;‖ Sanjin Pejkovic, Film Studies at Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund U, ―Once Brothers? Documentaries and Contested Representations of the Role of the Popular Culture and Sports in Yugoslav History‖ Disc.: Max Bergholz, U of Toronto (Canada) The Search for Identity between the Conflicting Priorities of Nation and Religion in Croatia Frano Prcela, O.P. Institut M.-D. Chenu, Schwedter Str. 23, D-10119 Berlin, Germany When Croatians talk about national identity, particular weight or even an exclusive role is ascribed to the Catholic Church. Modern interpretations of national identity do not accept religion, church or faith affiliation as a basic feature of this or even a special position in this identity. Identity does not belong to the essence of people but rather to their consciousness. In the consciousness of the majority of Croatians, the role of
the Catholic Church in the development and preservation of the Croatian national identity is given an outstanding importance, a sort of ―Super-Role.‖ Because of historical circumstances, the majority of Croatians are Catholics. To put that in another way, almost all the Catholics in that region have become Croatians. For nearly nine centuries the framework provided by an independent political state was lacking, which, as a consequence, meant that the Catholic Church took on the role of national homogenising and as the preserver of the Croatian identity. For the Croatians, nation and denomination are, therefore, almost coterminous. In this article we shall call attention to the risk of, on the one hand, reducing the Croatian national identity to Catholicism and, on the other hand, a certain reduction of Catholicism into simply being Croatian. For this is not only outmoded, but moreover also brings dangers for both sides with it. When Croatians talk about the history of the Croatian people, this usually becomes a presentation of the role of Christianity or of the Catholic Church as the central bearer of the promotion and preservation of Croatian identity. Croatian culture, politics and the general achievements of civilisation are closely linked to (western) Christianity. Nevertheless, there is a danger that Croatian identity will be reduced to Catholicism or even to the institution of the Catholic Church. Doing this would discard the many facets of eastern Christianity, which are primarily found on the Adriatic coast. The equation of Croatian with Catholic would, further, mean the obliteration of the Jewish and Protestant traditions, as well as many other religious, cultural, and political traditions, which have also become an important part of Croatian identity. Thus the Catholic Church has, in the
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course of (modern) history, created certain positive prejudices about itself by stressing its link with the Croatian people. It is always the mutual going together and suffering together of the Catholic Church and the Croatian people which is stressed—not only by the Catholic hierarchy, but also by many historians, intellectuals and, of course, many politicians. In doing this, certain historical events, personalities or even terminological syntagma are used, which, in the course of time, have become a fixed part of the self-understanding and self-presentation of Croatian Catholics. Examples of such syntagma are: Croatians are a Catholic and Marian people, or that Croatia is the ―Antemurale Christianitatis‖ (Bulwark of Christianity). In addition, there are some more modern terms, which are no less in danger of leading to self-deception: a Catholic country or the Catholic Church in Croatia is the ―Stepinčeva Crkva (Stepinac´s Church) etc. At any rate, it is significant that their own positive prejudices of the Catholic Croatians form the source for several negative prejudices in the perception of others. One such example is the designation of Croatia by the Church as a Catholic country. For the Croatians are silent when, for example, the nuncio refers to Croatia in an interview as the most Catholic country (see the interview in ―Glas Koncila‖, No. 1571, 01.08.2004). This silent listening to the words of a representative of the Vatican has apparently been taken as a compliment. When, however, someone else, who already has a profile as a critic of the same Church, does the same thing and cites Croatia as a Catholic state, this excites the minds of Catholic Croatians a lot. When the Croatians talk about their Catholic Church themselves, this soon becomes a listing of the merits of the Church in education and in the preservation of Croatian identity. In fact, the first historical mention of the
name of Croatia, the beginnings of Croatia becoming a state, and the first documents about Croatia and Croatia with the Church, are all linked with the Catholic Church. During the time of Communist Yugoslavia, the Catholics appeared to the outside world to be a very homogenous community. The enormous changes arising from the Second Vatican Council caused only a few ripples in the Catholic Church in Croatia, compared to the greater effects elsewhere in the West. The changes were limited to the necessary minimum. Discussions within the Church were avoided as far as possible. The priority was to save one‘s strength for the daily confrontations with the overpowering Communist regime. The climate was such that one assumed that everything would be in order as soon as the totalitarian Communist regime disappeared from the political stage. Encouraged by the fall of the Iron Curtain, the first democratic elections took place in one republic after another of the then Yugoslavia. This first took place in the two majority Catholic republics of Slovenia and Croatia in the spring of 1990. Very soon Croatia experienced disillusionment through the war which followed and lasted until the summer of 1995. The Church played a very important role during the war, both in the humanitarian field and more still through spiritual support, as well as through her homogenising function. Very soon after this the disillusionment came, especially concerning the real structure of the faith of Croatian Catholics. Through the disappearance of the ideological enemy—the Communist regime—the Catholic Church was then able to take part in the newly-won democratic structures in a very intensive way, with many new opportunities for its pastoral and societal work (religious instruction in schools, media work, military and hospital chaplaincies etc.). The very democracy which the
Church helped intensively to create came as a surprise for the Church. The newly-won freedom did not come at once, but nevertheless the Church was not prepared for it and was not able to come to terms with the many new possibilities (and the pluralist society which went along with this!), and still less with the expectations for the Church itself—and that is still the case today. Particularly at the beginning of the 1990s, during the war, the Church was very present in the Croatian public eye. At every celebration and every official event the representatives of the Church were expected to be present. And the officials of the Church did not miss a single chance for this. The fact that the Church was being used in a certain way did not worry it at first very much. With hindsight, this using of the services of the Church in situations where she was not to be concerned about the ―contents‖ was basically outsiders or even she herself instrumentalising her. Frankly speaking, the Church neglected her own mission and misused her role through her intensive public appearances in Croatia by turning herself into an institution for public news instead of spreading her true message amongst the people. It appears paradoxical that, through this intensive public presence, an impression was made that Croatian citizens were especially bound to the Church, which later could be shown to be a deceptive picture of the Catholic Church. For that reason, the current crisis of faith amongst Croatian Catholics is not so much the result of increasing secularisation as the Church hierarchy likes to maintain. It is rather more the result of the Church ―forgetting‖ to convey her own message, by instead concerning itself with image and institutional influence in Croatian society. The result of this process is that today most Croatians are (on paper) Catholic (baptised), but not Christianised—that is, they are not
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informed or educated about their faith. So Croatian Catholicism is characterised by a formalist practice of the faith and a traditional view of the Church, with a strong tendency to uphold Church traditions. This practice of the faith, which can be particularly seen at mass events, survives without, one could say, seeking a deep faith: it is restricted to a ―situational Christianity‖ (―Christmas‖, ―Sacramental‖, ―Formal‖ or ―Sunday‖ Catholicism). For more than two decades, the Catholic Church has been in the position to equip its members with a substantially better communication of faith as well as a higher intellectual quality when communicating the contents of faith. But this does not happen enough, although the prerequisites have never been so good throughout the course of Croatian history (the Church has religious instruction in state schools, a strong media presence, and many new theological faculties within the state universities). It is impossible to avoid the impression that the Church is more concerned about its position in Croatian society than a continuous offer of dialogue about the contents of faith or theological themes in society‘s discussions. As a consequence of this intellectual apathy concerning discussions in society in matters of faith, it often happens that the Church puts more importance into the political points of view of its members than their theological positions. In doing this, the faith of Catholic Croatians has become a matter of inheritance (a matter of tradition) rather than taking the form of true discipleship. Finally, the following question remains to be asked: what, therefore, are the current challenges for the Catholic Church in Croatia? When the Catholic Church in Croatia talks about preserving identity, it is principally the preservation of tradition that is meant. But if tradition is stressed too much,
the impression inevitably arises that one wants to hold on to the status quo. This presents the Church with the urgent task of producing a creative distance to tradition. The current assurance about the merits and the role of the Catholic Church itself in the historical development of the Croatian people does not at all mean that these should be exhibited in the museum of Croatian identity. What is required is the Here and Now of the Church in Croatian society! There is no question that the Catholic Church in Croatia has endorsed the process of democratisation and has become an important subject of society in the country. In the 1990s, Croatian society went through an important development towards more pluralism. Around the end of the 1990s, the influence of the Church was disappearing more and more, and the Catholic authorities were taken less and less seriously by the media, and were even sometimes discredited. How could it come to that? For this we offer the following explanation: the Church at first accepted pluralism as something good and also accepted it for itself, because this provided it with the opportunity to spread its message in freedom. But in the meantime the situation has arisen that the representatives of the Church have little understanding for points of view and concepts of life which are irreconcilable with Church teaching. And so it came to be that the Church, every time there was a confrontation with differing views, more and more referred to Croatian society as a ―failed democracy.‖ The challenge for the Church in this context is to create the prerequisites for an open discussion in its own ranks, without raising a monopolistic claim in the process (and that not even in questions of faith). One good way for the Church would be the way of serenity. To a certain extent a more creative calmness concerning complexity (which has arisen because
of pluralism) would make the Church more receptive for the doubts, questions and wounds of Croatian society. That is to say, she would then be enabled to transcend them. Otherwise she will be on the way to a fatal division into civic and ecclesiastical public spheres. At first sight, a close relationship between national and religious identity is not bad as such. But a (church-) politically motivated deliberate equation of the two will bring serious consequences with it. Applied to the Croatian situation: the Catholic Church cannot afford to give in to the temptation of being a centripetal factor of power for the unity of the Croatian nation. It is now time to disenchant the interrelationship between nation and religion or even to demystify it. The temptation which has brought the fateful connection of being Croatian and Catholic in the course of history ought not to be taken into account any longer today. But this is not the case. Without any question, the Catholic Church would like to continue to influence Croatian society in an active way. She does not only bring gifts to this process, but also her own challenges and problems, which are increasingly becoming urgent tasks. If the Church wants to take up the interest of the people or even represent them, then she must maintain a certain distance from politics. That does not mean that she must remain aloof from social, economic and political questions, but rather that she must avoid every activity which could create the impression that she is representing her own political interests or is on the side of the decidedly nationalist state. Being close to the state delegitimises Church action—that is something which the Catholic Church had to experience not only after the collapse of State Socialism in Croatia, but also in many other countries in Eastern Central Europe. ―Not that we lord it over your faith;
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rather, we work together for your joy‖ (2 Cor. 1:24). Authentic engagement for the true Christian and Catholic identity is certainly the best contribution which the Church can provide in Croatian society, and through which she can help to stabilize national identity. Let it be understood that this does not only apply to Croatia.
member, Mr. Joseph Turkaly, had an opening of his Retrospective Sculpture Exhibition in the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Washington, DC on October 13, 2011. The exhibit will remain on display Monday-Friday, 10 – 4, until Jan. 1.
MEMBERS & FRIENDS Greetings and welcome to new members Jasna Krizanec, retired teacher of Russian Languages, and to George Pesely at the Dept. of History, Austin Peay State University. Ludwig Steindorff, Kiel University/Germany, took part in a conference at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Zagreb on March 3, 2011, regarding the topic ―Ljetopis popa Dukljanina pred izazovima novije historiografije,‖ (―The Chronicle of the Priest of Dioclea and the Challenges of Modern Historiography‖). Except for the writer of these lines and two participants from Belgrade, the other eight participants came from Zagreb. The organization of the conference was motivated by some recent publications about the composition and the age of this mysterious source. Since the different proposed solutions widely exclude one another, the discussion was very vivid and controversial, but always remained on an academic and friendly level. The organizers intend to publish the papers of the conference. Professor Steindorff also published an article: ―Jugoslawien 1989: Kosovo und der Diskurs um die Zukunft des states,‖ (Yugoslavia 1989: Kosovo and the Discourse about the Future of the State) Jahr der Wende im östlichen Europa, ed. Michael Düring et alii, Lohmar-Köln: Josef Eul Verlag 2011, S. 187-206.
A surprise party was held for Wayles Browne during "Slavic Studies Symposium 2011" at Cornell last February. He was also invited to give talks in Japan in June 2011: one in Tokyo on enclitics in Slavic languages and one in Sapporo (the main center for Slavic studies) on the Burgenland Croatians and their position on the border between Austria and Hungary. Wayles was delighted to see that the Sapporo library had a subscription to the Burgenland periodical Hrvatske Novine. Professor Browne‘s recent publications include a bilingual volume: Cape of Good Hope/Rt Dobre Nade, poems by Sasha Skenderija, translated from the Bosnian. Tešanj, Bosnia: CKO, 2011. Another translation from Croatian he completed with Theresa Alt is Omer Rak, The Rhyton from Danilo: Structure and Symbolism of a Middle Neolithic Cult-Vessel. Oxford: Oxbow Press, 2011. His article "SerboCroatian Language" has been included in Encyclopaedia Britannica 2011, explaining the uses of this controversial term. Also by Professor Browne: "Lingvistički pogled na hrvatski jezik, njegovo normiranje i mjesto u društvu." [―A Linguistic Look at the Croatian Language, Its Standardization and Its Place in Society.‖] Kroatologija (Zagreb) 1
(2010), p. 11-20. [Favorable review by Janika, Vijenac (Zagreb), br. 435, 4. XI. 2010.] Forthcoming are two scholarly obituaries: "In memoriam Horace Lunt 1918-2010." Slovo, Zagreb, to appear in 2011-2012; and "In memoriam Ilse Lehiste 1922-2010." Zbornik Matice srpske za filologiju i lingvistiku, to appear this year as well.
Sabrina P. Ramet announces publication of her article ―Croatia and Serbia since 1991: An Assessment of Their Similarities and Differences,‖ in the Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, 27: 2, (2011): 263- 290. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1352327 9.2011.564098
The Croatian Academy of America issued Volume 44 of the Journal of Croatian Studies, its annual interdisciplinary review. The opening essay was written by University of Zagreb Professor Darko Žubrinić and deals with the life and contributions to mathematics of William Feller (1906-1970). One of the founders of Probability Theory as a scientific discipline, Feller was born in Zagreb and received his initial education in mathematics and physics at the University of Zagreb before going on to achieve international fame. Feller was particularly known for his twovolume monograph An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications which underwent several editions and was translated into Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Polish, and Hungarian. A fascinating chapter in the cultural and religious history of the Croats relates to the Reformation period and is presented by We are pleased to announce that our University of Waterloo Professor 7 Bulletin of the Association for Croatian Studies – No. 57 Fall 2011
Emeritus Vinko Grubišić. Despite major challenges and uncertainties as exiles, Croatian reformers in Germany printed over 20,000 books, including complete translations of the Bible into the Croatian language (―stumačena v hrvatskom jaziku‖ / ―in die Crobatische Sprach verdolmetscht‖). These books were printed in the Glagolitic, Cyrillic and Roman alphabets in an effort to spread reform ideas throughout lands inhabited by the Croats and other South Slavs. Various aspects of the history of the Croatian diaspora are presented by various contributors. John Felix Clissa examines the migration history of the ItaloCroatians of the Molise region of Italy to Western Australia. The smallest ethnolinguistic minority in Italy, the Italo-Croatians of Molise are remnants of one of Croatia‘s oldest diaspora communities whose spoken language has been designated as ―severely endangered‖ by the UNESCO Red Book on Endangered Languages. As an immigrant from Molise who spent his childhood in Belgium before emigrating to Australia, Clissa‘s contribution is an outgrowth of his important 2001 book The Fountain and the Squeezebox (La Fontana e L’Organetto / Funda aš orginet). In this book, he transcribed and saved for posterity the idiolects (specific speaking styles) in Molisan-Croatian (together with English translations) of twentyseven individuals from Molise and first generation Italo-Croatian Australians who were born between 1901 and 1934. Based on the records of the U.S. Department of State relating to the internal affairs of
Yugoslavia, Jure Krišto, Ph.D., of the Croatian Institute of History (Zagreb), examines the surveillance of American Croats by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during World War II. He concludes that the FBI began its spying on American citizens of Croatian descent at the behest of Yugoslav diplomats in Washington, DC. This operation continued despite conclusions by several operatives that further surveillance was not warranted. Instead, over time the surveillance mutated to focus on alleged Communist-related activities of American Croats. He concludes that the FBI was not always careful in the selection of its informants, which often resulted in grave consequences for American Croats. Following a review of the policy origins of multiculturalism in Canada and the launch of Canadian Ethnic Studies and Polyphony, Stan Granic highlights the approach and achievements of these two periodicals. He then summarizes the main contributions in the two journals dealing with the Croatian ethnocultural community in Canada and the achievements of Canadians of Croatian origin. Vladislav Beronja provides a translation of Miroslav Krleža‘s exceptional poetic essay on the artist Krsto Hegedušić (19011975). Hegedušić‘s most famous paintings depicted social themes and especially the harsh life of the Croatian peasantry in the style of naïve art. Krleža‘s essay, considered a masterpiece in its genre in Croatian literature, accompanied Hegedušić‘s 1933 book of drawings entitled Podravski motive (The Drava
Valley Motifs). Hegedušić‘s career was marked by his pursuit of an independent artistic course incorporating a national and social voice combining satirical, grotesque and surrealist elements. In this issue, Brian Gallagher reviews Goli Otok: Hell in the Adriatic (2007), the personal reminiscences of Josip Zoretić about life in the most notorious prison camp of Tito‘s Yugoslavia. The reviewer discusses how this work provides a corrective to the observations of those who gloss over the serious human rights violations that took place in exYugoslavia. Vinko Grubišić reviews Kritike, a 2008 collection of forty literary critiques penned by Vinko Brešić. Brešić critiqued works written in verse and in prose of various genres by diverse Croatian authors, literary historians and critics over the last decade. To order a copy of the Journal contact: The Croatian Academy of America, Inc. P.O. Box 1767 Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163-1767 Fax (516) 935-0019 E-mail croatacad@aol.com In this issue we feature the website of the Croatian Scientific Bibliography (CROSBI)http://bib.irb.hr/index.html which stores scientific papers published in the period from 1997 to the present. Project CROSBI started in 1997 with the main goal to collect the data on scholarly output of the current research projects financed by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports (MSES) and to make them available publicly. Today CROSBI provides a comprehensive overview of all literature produced by Croatian scholars: journal articles, books, book chapters, conference papers, theses, reports, manuscripts, etc. Scholars themselves often provide the data for
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the database. Furthermore, CROSBI provides a digital archive of full-text papers. CROSBI offers "on demand"
current bibliography for the institution, project, scientist or subject. Librarians are active partners in maintenance of the database as they communicate with scientists in order to improve the accuracy of the data. CROSBI currently houses data on 67,000 articles published in scholarly publications, 31,000 articles published in other journals, 5,800 authored books, 2,550 edited books, 20,200 book chapters, 3,800 textbooks, 35,400 articles in proceedings with international peer-reviews and 14, 300 articles in domestically-reviewed proceedings, and 4,750 articles from various other proceedings. It also includes 47,600 summaries, data on 5,000 dissertations, 4700 master theses, and 25,000 undergraduate theses. Additionally it lists the information on 560 patents, encyclopedia entries, various reports, computer programs, etc. Since CROSBI serves as a repository of full-length texts, in addition it provides access to 12,700 articles (mostly in pdf format) and links to 16,500 articles provided on the publishers‘ sites. Such comprehensive coverage makes it one of the most relevant scholarly databases in Croatia with approximately 5000 visits a day.
BOOKS & REVIEWS Josip Glaurdić, The Hour of Europe: Western Powers and the Breakup of Yugoslavia, (Yale University Press, 2011, 418 pages).
By looking through the prism of the West's involvement in the breakup of Yugoslavia, this book presents a new examination of the end of the Cold War in Europe. Incorporating declassified documents from the CIA, the administration of George H.W. Bush, and the British Foreign Office; evidence generated by The Hague Tribunal; and more than forty personal interviews with former diplomats and policy makers, Glaurdić exposes how the realist policies of the Western powers failed to prop up Yugoslavia's continuing existence as intended, and instead encouraged the Yugoslav Army and the Serbian regime of Slobodan Milošević to pursue violent means. The book also sheds light on the dramatic clash of opinions within the Western alliance regarding how to respond to the crisis. Glaurdić traces the origins of this clash in the Western powers‘ different preferences regarding the roles of Germany, Eastern Europe, and foreign and security policy in the future of European integration. With subtlety and acute insight, The Hour of Europe provides a fresh understanding of events that continue to influence the shape of the post-Cold War Balkans and the whole of Europe. Josip Glaurdić received his Ph.D. from Yale and is junior research fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge. He divides his time between Cambridge, UK, and Münster, Germany. Radoslav Katičić. Gazdarica na vratima: Tragovima svetih pjesama naše pretkršćanske
starine, Ibis grafika; Matica hrvatska; Katedra Čakavskog sabora Općine Mošćenička Draga, Zagreb - Mošćenička Draga, 2011. 283 str. ISBN: 978953-692759-3. The last book in Katičić's trilogy makes an attempt at reconstructing ancient Slavic sacral poetry, in particular texts pertaining to the Slavic Great Mother, the goddess Mokoš who was also venerated by the Baltic peoples. As in his previous two volumes (Božanski boj and Zeleni lug) dealing with Slavic ritual texts, in addition to illuminating the devotional aspect, Katičić also uncovers the mythical picture of the Slavic world which remains reflected to this day in various expressions in Croatian and other Slavic languages. Marin Držić. Izabrana djela I. Ed. Slobodan Prosperov Novak, transcriptions by Marijana Horvat, Ivana Vrtič and Ivana Žužul. Matica hrvatska, Zagreb, 2011. 329 str. ISBN: 978-953-150-304-4 The first volume of Držić‘s selected works includes the author‘s political letters (including the conspiratory letters to Cosimo I de‘ Medici) and two editions which were discovered in Milan‘s Nazionale Braidense by Enio Stipčević in 2007: Tirena and Pjesni Marina Držića. Look for the ACS on Facebook and if you like what you see, say so! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Associ ation-for-CroatianStudies/162980563795491
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In M em o r ia m DR. JOSEPH T. BOMBELLES One of the founders of the Association for Croatian Studies (ACS) and its former president for many years, Joseph T. Bombelles died in Norfolk, Virginia, on July 5, 2011, after battling cancer for some time. He was born on June 2, 1930. His father, Count Joseph Bombelles, was executed in 1942 by the Croatian regime at the time, while Tito's communist regime confiscated the family property. He and his mother lived in Zagreb. After earning a law degree at the University of Zagreb, he went to The Hague to study international law and didn't return to his native Croatia until it became independent twenty years ago. Soon after coming to the West, he asked for political asylum in Germany and became a political emigrant. While in Germany, his fiancée, Georgia Nina Lolić from Zagreb, joined him and they were married in Munich in 1955. In 1956, the young couple came to the United States and settled in Cleveland. As experienced by a number of other educated Croatian immigrants, at first he worked in a machine shop in order to make a living. In the early 1960s, he began to teach German and Russian to engineering students at the Case Institute of Technology. He also enrolled in graduate school and earned his Master's and doctoral degrees in economics at Case Western Reserve University. His dissertation, ―Economic Development of Communist Yugoslavia,‖ was published in 1968 by the Hoover Institute, Stanford University. Dr. Bombelles taught economics at John Carroll University for 30 years, from 1968 to 1998. He was a demanding but well-respected professor, both by his students and by his fellow-faculty members. For this reason, he received John Carroll's Distinguished Faculty Award. He was also a Fulbright scholar. Although he had a successful career, a wonderful family, and truly enjoyed and loved American freedom and democracy, he never forgot his homeland and its people. He desired independence, freedom, democracy, and prosperity for everyone, especially for his Croatian people. For that reason, he was instrumental in organizing various scholarly gatherings to discuss issues dealing with Croatia and the Croatians, at home and abroad. With the same purpose, he and several other Croatian scholars of that generation, founded the Association for Croatian Studies in 1977. We are thankful to him and the others for their enthusiasm, vision, and endurance! As soon as Croatia became independent, Dr. Bombelles undertook concrete steps to promote democratization and free market economy in his homeland. His goal was not to make money, but to contribute to the education of new generations in their understanding and appreciation of freedom, democracy, free enterprise, and good work ethics. These were all values that he found worthy of transferring to a society that was coming out from under the rubble. With this noble objective in mind, he became one of the founders of a private business school, the Zagreb School of Economics and Management (ZSEM), and served as its chairman. He was instrumental in establishing good working relations between John Carroll University (some other universities too) and the ZSEM, which are beneficial on both sides of the Atlantic, especially in the area of student and faculty exchange. Besides his professional career, Dr. Bombelles will be remembered for being a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. He was a true gentleman and a friend to many of us. After his retirement in 1998, he spent much time in Zagreb, but every time he came back to the US, he would call, inquiring what was going on at the ACS and how could he help in the advancement of Croatian studies. We are thankful to Dr. Bombelles for his true friendship and collegiality. We are glad that he was a part of our lives as we were of his, even in a small way. The advancement of Croatian studies was our common goal and that, in turn, lead to a true friendship. We thank him for both! To his dear wife Nina, his two sons, and four grandchildren, we extend our sincere sympathy. To our friend Joža, we say farewell and may the Good Lord grant you eternal peace. Ante Čuvalo, Ljubuški
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MEMBERSHIP DUES Sign up now for 2012! If you are not a member of ACS, join our group of professionals who are either of Croatian background or are scholars doing research in the field of Croatian Studies. You do not have to be in Slavic studies to be a member! All you need is an interest in Croatia and the Croatians. Both current members and other interested persons are asked to mail in the membership form with your membership dues. Your cooperation is needed to keep our mailing list up-to-date. If you would like to support ACS activities, especially to participate in the annual ASEEES convention, your financial donations will be greatly appreciated. Keep in mind that ACS is a non-profit educational association; dues and donations are tax-deductible. ACS MEMBERSHIP FORM MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR 2012: REGULAR MEMBERSHIP $30.00 RETIREES AND STUDENTS $15.00 TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS ACCEPTED! Write your checks to Association for Croatian Studies Name_____________________________________________________ Address___________________________________________________ Telephone___________________________________e-mail_________________________________________
Please send dues and membership form to: Ellen Elias-Bursac 30 Ellsworth Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 New Members: Please send us a few sentences about yourself and your work. All ACS members are asked to keep their e-mail addresses updated. Let us know about important events and successes in your life and work.
Material to be published in the Bulletin should be sent to nancycrenshaw@comcast.net.
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Assn. for Croatian Studies c/o Nancy Crenshaw 931 Huebinger Drive Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 U.S.A.
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