Guest Lecture by Dr Dragan Nimac for Sociology Students

Within the course Contemporary Sociological Theories, taught by Assoc. Prof. Dr Ivana Brstilo Lovrić and Assist. Prof. Dr Mateja Plenković, on 1 December 2025 sociology students hosted Dr Dragan Nimac from the Institute for Migration Research, who delivered a lecture entitled “Intangible Cultural Heritage in Social Change: Community, Identity, and the Challenges of Migration.” The lecture focused on analysing how migration processes shape collective memory and the identity patterns of local communities and diaspora communities.

Drawing on the results of field research, Dr Nimac presented examples from the Dalmatian islands and coastal areas that illustrate the adaptability and transformability of tradition. Particular emphasis was placed on the devotion to Our Lady of Health on the island of Sestrunj, as well as on the transfer of the Jelsa tradition from the island of Hvar among Croatian emigrants who settled in the Argentine town of Villa Mugueta in the 1920s. This case also demonstrated the century-long linguistic resilience of the Croatian language in the diaspora. Dr Nimac further highlighted contemporary challenges related to preserving spiritual and musical traditions, such as Glagolitic chant, especially in the context of rapid technological development and artificial intelligence. He stressed the importance of living oral transmission and pointed to examples of good practice, including activities of St Philip and James Primary School in Sv. Filip i Jakov, where pupils participate in the revival of old customs and actively contribute to the transmission of local heritage.

As part of the visit, students were introduced to the research project MISJEK – The Role of Migration Processes in the Formation of Collective Memory, Perceptions, and Practices of Intangible Cultural Heritage on the Northern Dalmatian Islands and Coast, led by Dr Nimac and implemented by the Institute for Migration Research with support from the European Union through the NextGenerationEU programme, in cooperation with faculty members of our University.

In his concluding remarks, Dr Nimac emphasised that intangible cultural heritage is dynamic and constantly interacts with social change, and that its preservation requires the active engagement of communities at both local and global levels, including the diaspora, education, and sustainable tourism. Students participated actively in the discussion, linking the themes of the lecture and project with course content, and expressed interest in further involvement in research on the sociology of migration, collective memory, identity, and intangible cultural heritage.