ACTIVITIES OF SLOVENIAN ASSOCIATIONS IN BELGRADE (1921-2014)

Abstract

Slovenians have lived for centuries in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. Between the 16th century and the mid-19th century, they took part in wars and battles for the liberations of Serbia and Belgrade, mainly as individuals. In the second half of the 19th century, a more massive immigration of Slovenian population in the territory of the present-day Serbia took place and this trend reached its peak at the beginning of World War II, when about 10,000 Slovenians were forced to settle there as refugees. Also, in the post-war period, a large number of Slovenians settled in Serbia, especially in Vojvodina, as part of a planned colonization scheme. Although a certain number of them returned to Slovenia, a majority decided to stay in the territory of Serbia and started a new life there. In the new environment, temporary or permanent, Slovenians began to organize their life. They adjusted themselves to the lifestyle of their new living environment, but they also organized themselves into associations, through which they maintained contacts with their homeland. By the 1990s, the Slovenian population in Serbia mainly lived intermingled with other nations from the common state, SFR Yugoslavia. After the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the formation of independent states, Slovenians in Serbia became an ethnic minority and they began to establish their associations upon different bases. Based on archival data, literature and papers resulting from research projects conducted by Serbian and Slovenian scholars, as well as results of their joint research, the paper deals with Slovenians in Belgrade and their associations since the second half of the 19th century until the present day. Having in mind the ongoing research on the Slovenians in the territory of Serbia and an easier access to data on associations established since 1997, this study particularly focuses on Slovenian associations that used to be active in the past but ceased to exist.