Aspects of Integration and Adaptation of Croatian Immigrants in Chile

Iseljavanje Hrvata u Čile vezano je uz prekooceanske migracije koje su se događale krajem 19. i početkom 20. stoljeća. Hrvatska se tada nalazila u sastavu Austro-Ugarske Monarhije. Najvažnije područje iseljavanja bila je Dalmacija, poglavito otok Brač. Iseljavanje se provodilo stihijski, bez određene iseljeničke politike i zakonodavstva. Glavni smjerovi iseljavanja bili su sjeverni (Antofagasta i Tarapaca) i južni dijelovi (pokrajina Magallanes) Čilea. U novom društvenom okruženju, u zemlji imigracije – Čileu, hrvatski iseljenici prolaze kroz niz procesa integracije i adaptacije. Otvorenost čileanskoga društva i politika kulturnog pluralizma omogućila im je slobodu izražavanja i prakticiranja etničnosti. S druge strane, čileanski zakon nije dozvoljavao dvojno državljanstvo, te su stoga djeca useljenika automatski postajali Čileancima. Hrvatski useljenici u početku njeguju mehanički oblik solidarnosti, budući da lančano iseljavaju i žive u rodbinskim ili prijateljskim skupinama. Nakon što su osigurali materijalne uvjete za život, osnivaju svoja društva i postaju prepoznatljivi prema van, u odnosu na druge useljeničke skupine. S vremenom dolazi i do socijalnog raslojavanja među njima. Žive u suživotu s mnogobrojnim useljeničkim skupinama. Privlačne su im sve slavenske useljeničke skupine, a dobre odnose ostvaruju i sa Čileanacima. Miješani brakovi, najviše s Čileankama/cima, ubrzavaju proces asimilacije i dovode do gotovo potpuna nestanka hrvatskog jezika. U ovom radu na osnovi dosadašnjih istraživanja hrvatskih ili čileanskih autora, povijesnih izvora i novinskih članaka analiziraju se procesi integracije iseljenika na trima društvenim razinama: unutar čileanskog društva, vlastite iseljeničke skupine i u odnosu prema drugim iseljeničkim skupinama. Utvrđuju se činioci koji su usporavali ili ubrzavali procese integracije, načini na koji su se procesi odvijali, okolnosti i učinak koji su proizveli.The emigration of Croats to Chile was a part of transoceanic migration that occurred at the end of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century. Croatia at the time was within the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The most important area of emigration was Dalmatia, especially the island of Brač. Emigration went on without organisation, with no emigration policy or legislative framework. The main routes of emigration to Chile were to its northern parts (Antofagasta and Tarapaca) and southern parts (the province Magallanes). In the new social milieu, in the immigration country – i.e. Chile, Croatian immigrants passed through various processes of integration and adaptation. The openness of Chilean society and politics to cultural pluralism gave them the opportunity to freely express themselves and their ethnicity. On the other hand, Chilean laws did not permit dual citizenship, and thus the children of the immigrants automatically became Chileans. Croatian immigrants at first nurtured a mechanical type of solidarity, since their migration was a chain development and they lived in groups of relatives and friends. After they assured for themselves the material necessities of life, they began to establish societies and were recognized from the outside as an immigrant group, distinct from other such groups. With time social stratification developed among them. They lived in communion with many other immigrant groups. They were attracted to all Slavic immigrant groups and they also have good relations with Chileans. Mixed marriages, mostly with Chileans, quickened the process of assimilation and brought about the almost total disappearance of the Croatian language. This paper is based on research, until the present, made by Croatian and Chilean authors into the historical sources and newspaper articles analysing the process of integration of immigrants on three social levels: within Chilean society, within their own immigrant groups and in regard to other immigrant groups. The author identifies the factors that either slowed or hastened the process of immigration, the ways in which this process was accomplished, and the circumstances and effects that it produced