The Burgenland Croats in Austria

The Burgenland Croats have been present in Austria for the last 500 years. The subject of their role in Austrian political life has not been researched so far, so this text hopefully will shed new light on this part of their presence. Besides the strong cultural heritage that they preserve, the questions of how the status of Burgenland Croats as a minority in Austria is and how strong their influence on political life in Austria is were examined, as well as their position inside the Austrian society. The literature review and the theoretical approach included various theories that helped to understand better the political status of the Burgenland Croats, along with the qualitative research method based on interviews as a collection of data, that revealed a new perspective regarding the status and understanding of Burgenland Croats in Burgenland and Vienna. One of the conclusions definitely would be that there is a big space for more political progress, both from Croatian and Austrian authorities and governments.

Autorentext

Ivana Mihaljinec (Zagabria, Croazia) ha terminato l'Accademia di musica come pedagoga e musicoterapeuta. Ha conseguito un master in diplomazia e relazioni internazionali e un dottorato in etnologia e antropologia. Lavora come consulente senior presso l'Ufficio comunale per la cultura e la società civile di Zagabria.