Croatian Studies Review 8 (2012) Srećko M. Džaja: “The Bosnian-Herzegovinian Croats: A Historical-Cultural Profile” Srećko M. Džaja* Hörwarthstr. 29 D-80804 Munich, Germany
[email protected] Abstract This article provides synthetic account of history and culture of the Croats in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main aim of the study is the historical reconstruction of the genesis of the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its starting point can be found in the Early Middle Ages, to which the history of the majority of modern European nations stands in continuity. The paper further follows history and culture of the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the Ottoman period, their positioning towards modern national movements in the nineteenth century and the ideologies of the twentieth century. Key words: Croats, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Franciscans, ethnicity * Historian Srećko Matko DŽAJA (*1935 Kupres, Bosnia and Herzegovina) got his degree in theology at the University of Zagreb in 1971 and in 1983 was awarded the degree in philosophy at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich. As a research affiliate at the Institut für Geschichte Osteuropas und Südosteuropas LMU and Südost-Institut in Munich in the 1980s and 1990s Džaja researched history of the south Slav region with main interest in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He published four books and numerous scholarly articles. Džaja is currently retired and lives in Munich. 63 Croatian Studies Review 8 (2012) Bosnia and Herzegovina in national narratives Three ethnic groups reside in today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina (further abbreviated to B&H or simply Bosnia) – the Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs – which are defined in the Constitution of B&H as constitutive nations, and not as national majorities and minorities.