1. Croat Origins In The Croatian Imagination
This chapter explores the ways in which Croat origins have been seen throughout history, as well as the current popular views of Croat origins. The 'autochthon Slav' discourse derived from Renaissance times, which linked early modern Slav identities with the ancient construction of Illyricum, as well as the ancient perception of the indigenous population as 'Illyrians'. Like other Southeastern and Central European ethnicities, modern Croatian ethnicity has been significantly impacted by sense of historical continuity in the space that the Croatians inhabited. It is very obvious in public identity-discourse. The popular discourse and popular perceptions of Croat migration in 'the promised land' from a 'faraway homeland' are reflected through-out more recent Croatian art, but it is curious that they are not as numerous as might be expected.Keywords: Croat origins; Croatian imagination