engleski

Beyond the external frontier: Identity and cross border commuting in Croatian-Slovenian borderland in Hrvatsko zagorje, Croatia

Despite their geopolitical importance for nation states, borderlands often represent rural periphery remote from urban centres and characterized by the intensive depopulation and economic setback. Examples of many European countries have witnessed demographic and economic revitalization and re-evaluation driven by the cross border cooperation, commuting and regionalization after they had joined the EU and had opened their borders. Due to its specific shape and more than 2000 km of the borders great share of total Croatian territory is borderland and rural periphery with all negative socio- geographic aspects. This paper will present the results of the empirical research conducted in four municipalities in Hrvatsko zagorje in Croatian- Slovenian borderland in August 2012. The aim of the paper is to research territorial identities in the borderland, attitude of the local population towards the border and Slovenia and cross border commuting in the research area. The empirical research included surveys conducted with the random sample of local population on the level of settlements and municipalities. The focus will be on the analysis of the territorial identities (local, regional, national, European), indicating the historical-geographic and socio-geographic factors that influenced them. Local identities will be emphasized in relation to the border and Slovenia, including the attitude of the local population towards the latter. The analysis of direction and frequency of respondents' commuting will examine if the areas remote from Croatian regional centres gravitate to Slovenian urban centres. At the end the future perspective will be given regarding the Croatian admission to the EU in July 2013.

Croatian border ; identity ; cross border commuting

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