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Croats are the fourth largest ethnic group in the Vojvodina province of Serbia. According to the 2002 census, there are 56,546 ethnic Croats in Vojvodina, constituting 2.78% in the population of the province.
Population
About two thirds of all Croats in Vojvodina have Bunjevci or Šokci origins. Those of Bunjevci origin constituting the largest part of population in several villages in the Subotica municipality: Bikovo, Gornji Tavankut, Donji Tavankut, Đurđin, Mala Bosna, and Stari Žednik. Croats of Šokci origin constituting the largest part of population in three villages: Sonta (in the municipality of Apatin), Bački Breg and Bački Monoštor (both in the municipality of Sombor). About one third of the Croats in Vojvodina are neither of Šokac nor Bunjevac origin. Croats living in the villages of Hrtkovci and Nikinci (both in the municipality of Ruma) originated from the Catholic Albanians who settled in Syrmia in 1737.
History
During 17th century, Roman Catholic Bunjevci from Dalmatia and western Herzegovina migrated to Vojvodina, where Šokci had been living since the 8th century, and between 1689, when the Habsburg empire conquered parts of Vojvodina, and the end of the 19th century, a small number of Croats from Croatia migrated to the region. Before the 20th century, most of the Bunjevac and Šokac populations living in Vojvodina did not see themselves as Croats. Instead, the two populations called themselves Bunjevci and Šokci and called their languages Bunjevac and Šokac, respectively. According to 1851 data, the population of the Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat, the historical province that was predecessor of present-day Vojvodina, included, among other ethnic groups, 62,936 Bunjevci and Šokci and 2,860 Croats.
The 1910 Austro-Hungarian census also showed large differences in the numbers of those who considered themselves Bunjevci and Šokci, and those who considered themselves Croats. According to the census, in the city of Subotica there were only 39 citizens who declared Croatian as their native language, while 33,390 citizens were listed as speakers of "other languages" (most of them declared Bunjevac as their native language). In the city of Sombor, 83 citizens declared Croatian language, while 6,289 citizens were listed as speakers of "other languages". In the municipality of Apatin, 44 citizens declared Croatian and 7,191 declared "other languages" (mostly Bunjevac, Šokac and Gypsy).
In the 20th century, most of the Šokci and part of the Bunjevci began to consider themselves Croats.
During the Yugoslav Wars, the president of the Serbian Radical Party, Vojislav Šešelj allegedly organized and participated in the expulsion of the Croats of Vojvodina.. The number of Croats which have left Vojvodina under political pressure is between 20,000 and 40,000.
Politics
The Croats of Vojvodina are politically represented by the Democratic League of Croats in Vojvodina. The Croatian President Stjepan Mesić has urged the Serbian Government to make Croats a recognized minority with a seat in Parliament, as part of the new Serbian Constitution.
Other parties of Croats in Vojvodina are Demokratska zajednica Hrvata (Democratic Union of Croats), Hrvatska bunjevačko-šokačka stranka (Croatian Bunjevac-Šokac Party) and Hrvatski narodni savez (Croatian national alliance).
Language
The Croatian language is one of the official languages of Vojvodina.
References
- Lazo M. Kostić, Srpska Vojvodina i njene manjine, Novi Sad, 1999.
- Popis stanovništva, domaćinstva i stanova u 2002, Stanovništvo - nacionalna ili etnička pripadnost, podaci po naseljima, knjiga 1, Republički zavod za statistiku, Beograd, Februar 2003.
- Borislav Jankulov, Pregled kolonizacije Vojvodine u XVIII i XIX veku, Novi Sad - Pančevo, 2003.
- Dr Dušan J. Popović, Srbi u Vojvodini, knjiga 3, Novi Sad, 1990.
- Vojislav Seselj indictment
- HRVATSKA NACIONALNA MANJINA U SRBIJI
See also
| Ethnic groups in Serbia | |
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| Serbs (Vojvodina, Kosovo) | |
| Larger ethnic minorities | |
| Smaller ethnic minorities | |
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