Remembrance/Memory; Identity; Assimilation: The Czechs in the Bjelovar-Bilogora County

U radu se analizira provedeno empirijsko istraživanje (polustrukturirani intervjui) u naseljima Bjelovarsko-bilogorske županije (Ivanovo Selo, Treglava i Rastovac), na populaciji češke nacionalne manjine. Intervjuirano je ukupno 10 pripadnika češke nacionalne zajednice. Analiza intervjua pokazuje da su ispitanici prilično dobro upoznati s dolaskom svojih predaka u drugoj polovici 19. stoljeća na područje Bjelovarsko-bilogorske županije i Hrvatske u cjelini. Česi su se na području te županije tijekom vremena organizirali u društva i udruge, pa putem folklora, škole, knjižnice, kulturnih priredbi i drugih aktivnosti u institucijama i udrugama prenose, čuvaju i kreiraju nacionalni identitet vlastite zajednice, što usporava i ovdje prisutnu asimilaciju u većinsku narodnosnu zajednicu. Kulturalno pamćenje dodatno pridonosi čuvanju i prijenosu nacionalnomanjinskog identiteta. Kvalitetna suradnja s češkom državom također znatno utječe na sprečavanje asimilacije i na sve aktivnosti u kojima se afirmira češko nacionalno ime. Jezik je važan činitelj nacionalnog identiteta nacionalne zajednice na simboličkoj i komunikacijskoj razini. U slučaju Čeha, osim primarno socijalizacijske sfere (obitelj, susjedstvo, prijateljstvo), posebnu važnost ima školsko obrazovanje, gdje se pripadnici te nacionalne manjine obrazuju na češkom jeziku s upoznavanjem češke kulture, što jača osjećaj pripadnosti češkoj naciji i usporava asimilaciju.The paper analyses the empirical research (semi-structured interviews) in the settlements of the Bjelovar-Bilogora County (Ivanovo Selo, Treglava and Rastovac), conducted on a sample of the Czech national minority population. Ten members of the Czech national community were interviewed. The analysis of the interview has shown that the respondents are fairly well acquainted with the arrival of their predecessors in the second half of the 19th century to the territory of Croatia in general, and to the area of the Bjelovar-Bilogora County in particular. In the area of this County, the Czechs have in the course of time formed organised societies and associations with the aim of transferring, preserving and creating the national identity of their own community via folklore, school, libraries, cultural events and other activities both in institutions and in associations; this slows down the assimilation into the majority national community. Cultural remembrance additionally contributes to the preservation and transfer of the identity of this national minority. Furthermore, high-quality cooperation with the Czech state strongly influences the prevention of assimilation and all the activities that make the Czech national name recognised. Language is a major component of national identity of a national community at both the symbolic and the communicational levels. As regards the Czechs, apart from the sphere of socialisation (family, neighbours, friends), school education is of particular importance: members of this national minority are educated in the Czech language and thereby introduced to the Czech culture, which strengthens the sense of belonging to the Czech nation and slows down assimilation