THE SLOVENE COMMUNITY IN CROATIA IN THE BORDER AREA AND THE BORDER DURING COVID-19

ABSTRACT

The time of the Covid-19 pandemic was particularly hard for the communities living in border areas, who are used to cross the border on a daily basis, sometimes several times a day. When borders were closed due to the pandemic, their lives changed dramatically. One of the communities particularly affected by the pandemic was the Slovene community in Croatia, namely its members living along the Slovene-Croatian border. The article aims to present the situation of this community during the pandemic, with a particular emphasis on the measures related to border crossing and the feeling of (dis)connectedness with the kin state. The data is drawn from a survey conducted in 2021 through 15 semi-structured interviews with active female members of the Slovene community in Croatia. The responses show that, instead of receiving assistance from the Republic of Slovenia, in a time of uncertainty and fear members of the Slovene minority experienced a closed border and numerous challenges. Due to the rapidly changing border crossing measures, they were unable to organise their lives properly and faced frustration and fear. The inability to cross the border, be it for medical and professional reasons (visiting doctors, regular employment) or private reasons (which are less relevant for survival, but still extremely important for private life e.g. visiting parents and grandparents), made them feel insecure, frustrated and in doubt about their relationship with the Republic of Slovenia. All that brought them further away from their kin state, making them feel as second-class citizens in either one or the other country. © 2022 Historical Society of Southern Primorska of Koper. All rights reserved.