Formation and maintenance the identity of Slovak migrants in the former Hungarian Kingdom from 1711 to present: Case study Báčsky Petrovec

The thesis dissertates about Slovak minority in the former Hungarian Kingdom, focusing on the Slovak minority in Báčsky Petrovec. Slovak minority is located in the following countries: Hungary, Serbian Vojvodina, Croatia, Romania. Research is done in four dimensions: the historical-geographic, dimension focussing the current state of the formation and maintenance of Slovak identity and inquiry which was made in Slovak community in Báčsky Petrovec and with Serbs in Novi Sad. The aim is to provide a comprehensive analysis of social and cultural situation of the Slovaks in the successor countries of former Hungarian Kingdom, where Slovak immigrants flowed after the defeat of the OttomanEmpire, mainly from 17th to 19th century. Two issues are presented: regions where there was a significant Slovak minority and the situation of the Slovak minority in these regions over time. The most important regions which retain Slovaks to present time are South Backa and South Banat in Vojvodina, Pilis Mountains, Békés county and Beech Mountains in Hungary and Bihor Mountains in Romania. According to the latest census the Slovak nationality in these areas was declared by 96.3 thousand people, but it is not even half of the original number of Slovaks in present area of Hungary a hundred years ago. There was an..