WHY BUNJEVCI DID NOT BECOME A NATION?

What is it about?

The paper examines the reasons for Bunjevci (an ethnic group in Serbia) has had an ambiguous status in contemporary political discourse. First, a historical analysis will be provided on the discussion of the national status of Bunjevci, i.e., the so-called “Bunjevci question.” The historical overview will then be followed by examining the self-perception of the Bunjevci as reflected in the data of a survey on social and political attitudes conducted in Subotica, Serbia, in mid-1990s. In this survey, the primary question was to what extent did they perceive themselves as being a distinct ethnic group. It was discovered that the majority of Bunjevci see themselves as Croats, but also that there is a significant minority not sharing that view. That result of the survey is particularly surprising given the strength of the nationalizing efforts stemming from the Croat political and cultural centers throughout the past decades, especially after 1989.

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