Constructing Croatian National Identity: Language, Religion, Memory, and the Role of the “Other” Anastacia M. Maruccia
Constructing Croatian National Identity: Language, Religion, Memory, and the Role of the “Other” Anastacia M. Maruccia UCOR 1400 Eurovision, Nation & Identity Dr. David Green February 1, 2026 Croatia came to be as an independent nation-state in 1991 following the breakup of Yugoslavia, which catalyzed the idea of national belonging and how its understood and represented in Croatia. Croatia’s national identity is constructed through shared culture, collective memories, and symbolic boundaries that define who belongs to the country and who doesn’t. This paper will examine Croatia’s national identity as a social and political idea stemming from language, religion, and historical narratives of sovereignty, and proven through comparison with both external and internal “Others,” particularly Serbia and ethnic minorities in order to reveal tensions between civic and ethnic models of belonging. Triandafyllidou defines national identity ...