Hostname: page-component-788cddb947-jbkpb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-10-11T02:43:44.723Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Impact of the War in Croatia (1991-1995) on the Differentiation of Age Structure between Serbs and Croats: A Case Study of the Banija Region

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 December 2021

Aleksandar Kovjanić*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, Republic of Serbia
Mila Pavlović
Affiliation:
Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, Republic of Serbia
Vedran Živanović
Affiliation:
Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, Republic of Serbia
Filip Krstić
Affiliation:
Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, Republic of Serbia
*
Corresponding author: Aleksandar Kovjanić, email: kovjanic90@gmail.com

Abstract

Aging is the subject of various studies by the scientific community and monitoring by responsible institutions. The intensity of aging and the proportion of age groups among various communities differ due to different socio-economic conditions and characteristics. This article researches the impact of the war in Croatia 1991–1995 and postwar living conditions on the divergence of population aging in the ethnically heterogeneous Banija region. The first postwar census in 2001 recorded a population decline of 44.9% compared to the 1991 census. We analyze the effects of the war on changes in ethnic and age structure, as well as their interrelations. The quantitative and qualitative magnitude of these demographic changes in the inter-census period had a decisive influence on the correlation of age and ethnic structure. The article examines whether the relative share of Serbs or Croats in the total population of a settlement affects the average age of the settlement. The results confirmed that the Serbs are older than the Croats, and are in the phase of the most advanced demographic age. These changes raise the question of the demographic future and the biological viability of the Serbs, who were the majority in the region before the war.

Type
Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Association for the Study of Nationalities

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akrap, Anđelko, Gelo, Jakov, and Grizelj, Marinko. 1999. “Broj prisutnog stanovništva Republike Hrvatske i županija po dobi i spolu od popisa stanovništva 1991. do 1998. godine.” Društvena istraživanja: časopis za opća društvena pitanja 8 (5–6): 679723.Google Scholar
Ananta, Aris, Arifin, Evi Nurvidya, and Bakhtiar.2005. “Ethnicity and Ageing in Indonesia, 2000–2050.” Asian Population Studies 1 (2): 227–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arifin, Evi Nurvidya, Hasbullah, M. Sairi, and Pramono, Agus. 2017. “Chinese Indonesians: How Many, Who and Where?Asian Ethnicity 18 (3): 310–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Babić, Dragutin. 2003. “Etničke promjene u strukturi stanovništva slavonskih županija između dvaju popisa (1991.–2001.)Migracijske i etničke teme 19 (1): 4970.Google Scholar
Berber, Maja, Grbić, Božo, and Pavkov, Slavica. 2008. “Promene udela stanovništva hrvatske i srpske nacionalne pripadnosti u Republici Hrvatskoj po gradovima i opštinama na osnovu rezultata popisa iz 1991. i 2001. godine.” Stanovništvo 46 (2): 2362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braičić, Zdenko, Njegač, Zoran Stiperski i Dražen. 2009. “Utjecaj gospodarske tranzicije i rata na promjene u prostornoj slici zaposlenosti Sisačke regije.” Hrvatski geografski glasnik 71 (1): 103123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braičić, Zdenko, and Lončar, Jelena. 2011. “Unutarregionalni dispariteti u Sisačko-moslavačkoj županiji.” Geoadria 16 (1): 93118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braičić, Zdenko, and Lončar, Jelena. 2012. “Međuovisnost industrijalizacije i nekih oblika socijalne mobilnosti stanovništva u sisačkom i petrinjskom kraju.” Geoadria 17 (2): 209234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Catney, Gemma, and Simpson, Ludi. 2014. “How Persistent is Demographic Variation between Ethnic Groups? The Case of Household Size in England and Wales.” Population Space and Place 20 (3): 201–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coleman, David. 2010. “Projections of the Ethnic Minority Populations of the United Kingdom 2006-2056.” Population and Development Review 36 (3): 441–86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crkvenčić, Ivan, Dugački, Zvonimir, Jelen, Ivan, Kurtek, Pavao, Malić, Adolf, and Šašek, Marijan. 1974. Geografija SR Hrvatske, Knjiga 2: Središnja Hrvatska. Zagreb: Školska knjiga.Google Scholar
Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 1991. Census of Population, Households, Flats and Farms, March 31, 1991. 1.1.10. Population Contingents, 1991 Census. Data from: Croatian Bureau of Statistics.Google Scholar
Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2001a. Census of Population, Households and Dwellings, March 31, 2001. 1.1.2. Population Contingents, by Settlements. Data from: Croatian Bureau of Statistics.Google Scholar
Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2001b. Census of Population, Households and Dwellings, March 31, 2001. 1.1.22. Population by Ethnicity, by Settlements. Data from: Croatian Bureau of Statistics.Google Scholar
Čačić-Kumpes, Jadranka, and Nejašmić, Ivo. 2001. “Social Changes, Migration and Ethnic Structure: Case Study of Petrinja (Croatia).” Društvena istraživanja 1–2 (51–52): 255273.Google Scholar
Đurđev, Branislav, Livada, Svetozar, and Arsenović, Daniela. 2014. “The disappearance of Serbs in Croatia.” Zbornik Matice srpske za društvene nauke (148): 583591.Google Scholar
Eastmond, Marita. 2006. “Transnational Returns and Reconstruction in Post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina.” International Migration 44 (3): 141166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Federal Statistical Office. 1991. Population by Ethnicity and Area of Settlement, Croatia. Census of Population, Households, Flats and Farms, March 31, 1991. Belgrade: Federal Statistical OfficeGoogle Scholar
Ferraro, Kenneth F, Kemp, Blakelee R, and Williams, Monica M. 2017. “Diverse Aging and Health Inequality by Race and Ethnicity.” Innovation in Aging 1 (1): 111.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frankenberg, Elizabeth, and Thomas, Duncan. 2011. “Chapter 6 - Global Aging.” Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, edited by Binstock, Robert H., and George, Linda K., 7389. Amsterdam: Elsevier.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gelo, Jakov. 1999. “Ratni učinci na promjene demografskih struktura u Hrvatskoj.” Društvena istraživanja: časopis za opća društvena pitanja 8 (5–6): 735749.Google Scholar
Gjenero, Davor. 2012. Ostvarivanje prava na zapošljavanje pripdnika nacionalnih manjina u javnim službama i osiguravanje rodne ravnopravnosti u 2012. godini. Zagreb: Srpski demokratski forum.Google Scholar
Goodyear, Rosemary. 2009. The Differences within, Diversity in Age Structure between and within Ethnic Groups. Wellington: Statistics New Zealand.Google Scholar
Hammond, Laura. 1999. “Examining the Discourse of Repatriation: Towards a More Proactive Theory of Return Migration.” In The End of the Refugee Cycle, edited by Black, Richard and Koser, Khalid, 227244. New York: Berghahn Books.Google Scholar
HRW (Human Rights Watch). 2003. Hrvatska: prekršena obećanja – Prepreke povratku izbjeglica u Hrvatsku. New York: Human Rights Watch.Google Scholar
HRW (Human Rights Watch). 2006. Croatia: A Decade of Disappointment – Continuing Obstacles to the Reintegration of Serb Returnees. New York: Human Rights Watch.Google Scholar
Idler, Ellen. 2006. “Religion and aging.” In Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, edited by Binstock, Robert H., George, Linda K., Cutler, Stephen J., Hendricks, Jon, and Schulz, James H., 277300. Amsterdam: Elsevier.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ilić, Jovan. 2006. “The Serbs in Croatia before and after the break-up of Yugoslavia.” Zbornik Matice srpske za društvene nauke 120: 253270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jansen, Stef. 2009. “Troubled Locations: Return, the Life Course, and Transformations of ‘Home’ in Bosnia-Herzegovina.” In Struggles for Home: Violence, Hope and the Movement of People, edited by Stef, Jansen and Staffan, Löfving, 4364. New York: Berghahn Books.Google Scholar
Jeffery, Laura, and Murison, Jude. 2011. “The temporal, social, spatial, and legal dimensions of return and onward migration.” Population, Space and Place 17 (2): 131139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klemenčić, Mladen. 1990. “Postupak vrednovanja dobnog sastava stanovništva.” Radovi 25: 7380.Google Scholar
Kokotović-Kanazir, Vlasta, Filipović, Marko, and Panić, Milena. 2016. “Demographic characteristics of Lika region.” Journal of the Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” SASA 66 (1): 4559.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Korać Mandić, Danijela, Opačić, Nenad, Škorc, Bojana, Ćirić, Danica, Volarević, Siniša, and Muždeka, Nada. 2006. Integracija kao dugoročno rešenje za izbeglice i raseljena lica u Srbiji. Novi Sad: Srpski savet za izbeglice.Google Scholar
Koska, Viktor. 2008. “Return and Reintegration of Minority Refugees: The Complexity of the Serbian Returnees Experiences in the Town of Glina.” Politička Misao: Croatian Political Science Review 45 (5): 191217.Google Scholar
Kupiszewski, Marek, Kupiszewska, Dorota, and Brunarska, Zuzanna. 2017. “The Futures of Ethnic Groups in the Russian Federation.” Eurasian Geography and Economics 58 (3): 279–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lajić, Ivan. 2004. “Noviji razvoj stanovništva Hrvatske – regularno i neregularno kretanje stanovništva.” Migracijske i etničke teme 20 (2–3): 171185.Google Scholar
Lajić, Ivan, and Bara, Mario. 2010. “Uticaj rata u Hrvatskoj 1991.-1995. na promenu udela Srba u nacionalnom sastavu stanovništva Slavonije.” Stanovništvo 48 (1): 4973.Google Scholar
Loizos, Peter. 2009. “The Loss of Home: From Passion to Pragmatism in Cyprus.” In Struggles for Home: Violence, Hope and the Movement of People, edited by Stef, Jansen and Staffan, Löfving, 6584. New York: Berghahn Books.Google Scholar
Lukić, Vesna, and Nikitović, Vladimir. 2004. “Refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina in Serbia: A study of refugee selectivity.” International Migration 42 (4): 85110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Magaš, Damir. 2013. Geografija Hrvatske. Zadar: Sveučilište u Zadru, Odjel za geografiju; Samobor: Meridijani.Google Scholar
Matas, Mate. 2004. “Banovina: demografski razvoj i problem nerazvijenog dijela Hrvatske.” Hrvatski geografski glasnik 66 (2): 4768.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mesić, Milan, and Bagić, Dragan. 2007. Održivost manjinskog povratka u Hrvatskoj. Zagreb: UNHCR.Google Scholar
Mesić, Milan, and Bagić, Dragan. 2008. “Društveno-ekonomski uvjeti održivosti povratka – primjer srpskih povratnika u Hrvatsku.” Revija za socijalnu politiku 15 (1): 2338.Google Scholar
Mesić, Milan, and Bagić, Dragan. 2010. “Serb Returnees in Croatia – the Question of Return Sustainability.” International Migration 48 (2): 133160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mesić, Milan, and Bagić, Dragan. 2011. Manjinski povratak u Hrvatsku – studija otvorenog procesa. Zagreb: UNHCR.Google Scholar
Mesić, Milan, and Bagić, Dragan. 2016. “Minority (Serb) Returnees to Croatia: Reintegration or New Immigration?” In Ethnic Minorities and Politics in Post-Socialist Southeastern Europe, edited by Ramet, Sabrina P. and Valenta, Marko, 211–31. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mišetić, Roko. 2002. “Utjecaj prisilnih migracija na promjenu biološkog sastava stanovništva – primjer Sisačko-moslavačke županije.” Migracijske i etničke teme 18 (4): 307317.Google Scholar
Mrđen, Snježana, and Barić, Dolores. 2016. “Demografsko starenje stanovništva Šibensko-kninske županije: grandparent boom.” Geoadria 21 (1): 113142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mrđen, Snježana, and Jurić, Ana. 2018. “Utjecaj ratnih i poratnih migracija na demografsku sliku Grada Knina (1991. – 2011.).” Geoadria 1: 85122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nair, P. S. 2011. “Age Structural Transition in South Africa.” Etude de La Population Africaine 25 (2): 194214.Google Scholar
Nejašmić, Ivo. 1992. “Promjene u dobno-spolnom sastavu stanovništva istočnojadranskog otočja (1953-1991)Acta geographica Croatica 27: 1534.Google Scholar
Nejašmić, Ivo. 2014. “Iseljavanje iz Hrvatske od 1900. do 2001.: demografske posljedice stoljetnog procesa.” Migracijske i etničke teme 30 (3): 405435.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nejašmić, Ivo, and Toskić, Aleksandar. 2013. “Starenje stanovništva u Hrvatskoj – sadašnje stanje i perspektive.” Hrvatski geografski glasnik 75 (1): 89110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nejašmić, Ivo, and Toskić, Aleksandar. 2016. “Ostarjelost stanovništva seoskih naselja Republike Hrvatske.” Migracijske i Etnicke Teme 32 (2): 191219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oliveira, Bruno, Alves, Luciano Carneiro, and Luiz, Ronir Raggio. 2017. “Mortality by Skin Color/Race and Urbanity of Brazilian Cities.” Ethnicity and Health 22 (4): 372–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pažanin, Ana. 2006. “Utjecaj prisilnih migracija na promjene ukupnog kretanja stanovništva ratom zahvaćenih županija Hrvatske.” Anali Hrvatskog politološkog društva 3 (1): 459481.Google Scholar
Pejnović, Dane. 2004. “Depopulacija županija i disparitet u regionalnom razvoju Hrvatske.” Društvena istraživanja: časopis za opća društvena pitanja 13 (4–5): 701726.Google Scholar
Penev, Goran. 1995. “Population by age and sex.” In Population and households of the Republic of Serbia according to the 1991 census, edited by Jovanović, Zoran, 155178. Belgrade: Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.Google Scholar
Petrović, Ruža. 1987. Migracije u Jugoslaviji i etnički aspekt. Beograd: Istraživačko-izdavački centar SSO Srbije.Google Scholar
Pokos, Nenad. 1999. “Procjena broja iseljenih stanovnika Republike Hrvatske od popisa stanovništva 1991. do 30. lipnja 1998. godine.” Društvena istraživanja: časopis za opća društvena pitanja 8 (5–6): 725734.Google Scholar
Pupovac, Milorad, Milošević, Saša. 2007. Serbs in Croatia 2007. Zagreb: Council of the Serb National Minority – City of Zagreb.Google Scholar
Rogić, Veljko. 1983. “Nacrt uvjetno homogene regionalizacije SR Hrvatske.” Hrvatski geografski glasnik 45 (1): 7589.Google Scholar
Stefanovic, Djordje, Loizides, Neophytos, and Parsons, Samantha. 2015. “Home is Where the Heart Is? Forced Migration and Voluntary Return in Turkeys Kurdish Regions.” Journal of Refugee Studies 28 (2): 276296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stefanovic, Djordje, and Loizides, Neophytos. 2017. “Peaceful Returns: Reversing Ethnic Cleansing after the Bosnian War.” International Migration 55 (5): 217–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tey, Nai Peng, Siraj, Saedah Binti, Bahyah, Shahrul, Kamaruzzaman, Binti, Chin, Ai Vyrn, Tan, Maw Pin, Sinnappan, Glaret Shirley, and Müller, Andre Matthias. 2016. “Aging in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia.” Gerontologist 56 (4): 603–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turk, Ivo, Šimunić, Nikola, and Jovanić, Marta. 2015. “Promjene u sastavu stanovništva prema narodnosti u Karlovačkoj i Ličko-senjskoj županiji od 1991. do 2011.” Migracijske i etničke teme 31 (2): 275309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wertheimer-Baletić, Alica. 2004. “Depopulacija i starenje stanovništva – temeljni demografski procesi u Hrvatskoj.” Društvena istraživanja: časopis za opća društvena pitanja 13 (4–5): 631651.Google Scholar
Williams, David R., and Wilson, Colwick M.. 2001. “Race, ethnicity, and aging.” In Handbook of aging and the social sciences, edited by Binstock, Robert H. and George, Linda K., 160178. San Diego: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Zetter, Roger. 1999. “Reconceptualizing the myth of return: continuity and transition amongst the Greek-Cypriot refugees of 1974.” Journal of Refugee Studies 12 (1): 122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zubair, Maria, and Norris, Meriel. 2015. “Perspectives on Ageing, Later Life and Ethnicity: Ageing Research in Ethnic Minority Contexts.” Ageing and Society 5: 897916.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Živić, Dražen. 2003. “Suvremene tendencije u razvoju stanovništva Hrvatske.” Diacovensia 11 (2): 253279.Google Scholar
Živić, Dražen. 2008. “Demografske prilike u Hrvatskoj početkom 1990-ih godina.” Časopis za suvremenu povijest 40 (1): 219236.Google Scholar