The Sources of disintegration of Croatian Australian community

The article examines the ideological diversity within the Australian Croatian community and its implications in the processes of disintegration including language shift and lost of identity in the second and third generation of immigrants. The article argues that there are three original ideological patterns, which were developed in the period from 1945 to 1992 and are mutually exclusive. It also argues the point that this type of diversity among two poles in the community has contributed to the process of disintegration within the community itself. To examine the options in a process in which the preservation of Croatian heritage in Australia can continue, one hast to take into consideration both, these ideologically determined origins of community and Census data which indicate dramatic shifts from major points of community identification in the second and third generation. The possible options within this process of disintegration are discussed in a final part of the article. In the conclusion it is also suggested that ideologically determined media outlets and Australian Croatian umbrella organisations are not in a position to provide the appropriate strategic plan for future processes in community survival. The role of the second generation under 35 year old community members, which compose up to 25 per cent of total community numbers, is also discussed in the article's conclusion.