Threat, Identity, and the Invisible Bonds of Cohesion – The Case of Croatian Homeland War Veterans

As part of the specialist seminar of the Scientific Board of our Institute, we are pleased to invite you to a lecture in English, which will take place on Tuesday, 2 December 2025, at 13:00 in the meeting room of the Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology, SAS, at Klemensova 19 in Bratislava.

Dr Igor MIKLOUŠIĆ from the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences in Zagreb will deliver a presentation entitled Threat, Identity, and the Invisible Bonds of Cohesion – The Case of Croatian Homeland War Veterans.

Lecture abstract

Drawing on extensive quantitative data and rich qualitative material, the lecture demonstrates how existential threat, loss, and high-intensity combat exposure forged exceptionally strong bonds among Croatian Homeland War veterans, referred to in Croatia as Defenders (Branitelji). By examining existential threat, spontaneous wartime rituals, and unusually strong intragroup cohesion, the lecture synthesises more than a decade of research into how wartime experiences became deeply embedded in both personal and collective identity. The findings show that informal rituals, shared hardship, and peer support remain crucial protective factors for veterans’ wellbeing even thirty years after the war, while institutional mistrust and social misunderstanding continue to hinder reintegration. The lecture poses a central question: how can bridges be rebuilt between veterans and the society they fought to protect?

It will also be possible to join the event online via the following link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88554012659?pwd=CpVok9ayH3DjedgjSBS7WBbQQcqao1

Meeting ID: 885 5401 2659
Passcode: 032905