The education of teachers in a post-socialist society : the case of Croatia

Abstract

From the beginning of 1992, the Republic of Croatia has been internationally accepted as a politically independent state-a tardy recognition and achievement, despite its long cultural history. Geographically, Croatia can be described as a Mediterranean, Central European and up to a certain extent Balkan state. It reflects the cultural traditions and heritages of all three regions.! The Croatian territory covers a land area of 56,538 km2 and has a population of four and a half million, with around 7,000 towns and cities (Statistical Yearbook of Croatia, 1999). In terms of size, therefore, Croatia corresponds to such European states as Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and Switzerland, while its population is comparable to that of Finland, Denmark and Norway. In the second half of the 20th century, Croatia went through a process of industrialization and urbanization, experiencing a decline in its agricultural sector. By 1991, over half of the population (54%) were living in 204 towns, and the processes of modernization has also had an impact on the organization of the family unit, with the average number of household members becoming 3.1 by the 1990's. More towns are located in the coastal region along the Adriatic Sea, whereas smaller towns are to be found in the continental part of the country. It should be mentioned that towns along the coastal region have a different urban tradition reflecting a Mediterranean heritage, with some of them towns exhibiting elements of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. Croatia is a multi-ethnic community: 78.1% are Croats, 12.1 % are Serbs, and the remaining 10% cover other ethnic groups and minorities. During the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995), 30% of the Croatian territory and one-fourth of the population were affected by occupation and the devastation of war. There were major demographic changes as a result: apart from immediate war losses, the war contributed to the decline of the birth-rate.2 Many were forced to emigrate, with around 700,000 Croatians ending up as 'displaced persons' and refugees. Around 280,000 Serbs left Croatia. Croatia is also a multi-faith, though predominantly Christian, country: 77% of the population professes to be Catholics, while 11 % are Orthodox.3 One could say that Croatian society has largely inherited European values and cultural traditions, and research on cross-national value orientations and major life roles in ten countries of the world (Super & Sverko, 1995) has shown that Croatia is quite similar to other European societies.