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Nakon proglašenja samostalnosti i suverenosti te međunarodnog priznanja Republike Hrvatske među znanstvenicima društvenih i humanističkih znanosti pojačan je interes za istraživanja hrvatskog iseljeništva u svijetu i Australiji. Radovi posvećeni ovoj kategoriji hrvatskog iseljeništva ponajviše propituju povijesni i kulturni aspekt hrvatske dijaspore, pitanje učenja i brige o hrvatskom jeziku među potomcima iseljenika, život političkih organizacija, hrvatskih katoličkih misija i društvenih institucija. Stoga se nametnula potreba za sveobuhvatnijim, interdisciplinarnim pristupom izučavanju hrvatske dijaspore, osobito u razdoblju kad je bila u punom zamahu stvaranja jezgre oko koje će se okupljati novi pridošlice, u rasponu od gotovo pola stoljeća na primjeru Hrvata u Australiji. Trebalo je istražiti manje poznata područja iseljeničkog iskustva jer su ondje pohranjene mnoge sastavnice koje utječu na život u dijaspori, na emocionalni i duhovni obzor zajednice, na traume i osjećaj 'drugosti' i otuđenja. Nametnulo se i pitanje pozicije hrvatskih žena u australskom društvu i obitelji o čemu se vrlo malo zna. Na posljetku, trebalo je dokazati ispravnost hipoteza o etno-nacionalnom karakteru hrvatske dijaspore, o ulozi mita o povratku u stvaranju i održavanju dijasporske svijesti, o stvaranju dijasporskih institucija kojima se gradio i održavao odnos dijaspore spram domovine porijekla i mainstreama Australije. Pokazalo se da je pojam mita o povratku nedovoljno istražen iako je sveprisutan fenomen u svim klasičnim dijasporama pa tako i u slučaju hrvatske dijaspore. Uočljivo je da se fenomen mita o povratku veže uz pojam dijaspore u gotovo svih teoretičara selilaštva do kasnih 80-ih, ali i u radovima brojnih teoretičara postmoderne kad nove interpretacije pojma dijaspora osvajaju područje društvenih i humanističkih znanosti. Trebalo je također razlučiti između pojmova mita i sna, između individualne žudnje i složenog društvenog konstrukta koji gradi dijaspora, a koji je istovremeno "materijal" za formiranje lepeze društvenih institucija dijaspore u kontekstu vremena i prostora izglobljenosti. Paradoksalno, institucije koje je stvarala da bi sačuvala identitet poslužit će dijaspori da lakše prebrodi proces akulturacije i odvajanja od stare domovine u procesu konstruiranja novog identiteta i umještanja u društvo mainstreama zemlje primateljice. Ovaj doktorski rad sastoji se od tri dijela čime je otvorena mogućnost sagledavanja fenomena dijaspore i uloge mita unutar dijasporske zajednice s tri različite pozicije (teorijske, povijesne i etnografske). Nakon uvodnog dijela u I. poglavlju, u II., III. i IV. poglavlju predstavljena su četiri osnovna pojma vezano za problematiku dijaspore: mit o povratku, značenjske mutacije samoga pojma dijaspore iz očišta eminentnih teoretičara dijaspore te pojmovi "dom" i "domovina" koji su u uskoj svezi s pojmom dijaspore. U navedena tri poglavlja prikazana su iskustva drugih teoretičara dijaspore koji se susreću sa sličnim problemima, procesima, i fenomenima kao i istraživač hrvatske dijaspore. U imaginariju i diskursima koje njeguje dijaspora neophodno je bilo objasniti pojam doma i domovine u smislu kako ih doživljava prosječan predstavnik hrvatskog iseljenika kao i mit o povratku i njegovu funkciju u razvoju dijasporske zajednice. U radu se analiziraju stavovi četvorice teoretičara dijaspore koji su dali značajan doprinos razvoju izučavanja transnacionalnih zajednica. To su William Safran, Robin Cohen, Fernando F. Segovia i Paul Gilroy. U V. poglavlju (u drugom, središnjem dijelu disertacije) donosi se povijesni pregled useljavanja Hrvata u Australiju s naglaskom na dva modela stvaranja institucija, političkog organiziranja i čuvanja identiteta i veza s domovinom (u hrvatskim zajednicama u Melbourneu i Sydneyu). Među hrvatskim doseljenicima rano se razvila politička aktivnost, formirane su brojne političke organizacije koje su bile isključivo podređene cilju stvaranja hrvatske države. Usprkos činjenici da su djelovale s različitih političkih opcija i da nisu bile jedinstvene po pitanju metoda djelovanja, ono što je povezivalo sve političke organizacije bila je ideja slobodne Hrvatske. Pripadnike dijaspore australska politička scena nije osobito zanimala pa nisu imali potrebu da se aktiviraju u stranačkom životu mainstreama. Nesporazumi i napetosti između predstavnika hrvatske zajednice i političkih vođa s predstavnicima australskih vlasti i australskom javnošću uglavnom su bili provocirani od strane indoktriniranih pojedinaca ili pak, jugoslavenskih tajnih službi koje su djelovale i na tlu Australije. U ovom poglavlju razmatraju se i drugi oblici društvenog i kulturnog života hrvatske dijaspore u Australiji. Osobito je važno pitanje identiteta, oblici zabave i kulturnih praksi, djelovanje katoličkih centara i stanje hrvatskog jezika u obitelji. Glavni čuvari nacionalne svijesti u hrvatskoj dijaspori u Australiji su svećenici u hrvatskim katoličkim centrima. Osim što su bili čuvari vjerskog života, većinom su bili inicijatori i kreatori politika, novih institucija i drugih oblika organiziranih aktivnosti hrvatske zajednice u Australiji. Drugi čimbenik kao "alat" posredovanja između iseljeničke zajednice i domovine bili su tiskani mediji, političke tribine, radio satovi i informativni centri. Bilo je potrebno osvrnuti se i na pitanje procesa hibridizacije i "pomicanja" identiteta nove generacije australskih Hrvata, rođenih i školovanih u Australiji. Ti su Hrvati druge generacije polako gradili most spram australskog mainstreama, ali se nisu do kraja oslobodili osjećaja podijeljene naklonosti. Što se tiče hrvatskih žena, za razliku od Australki Anglo Keltskog porijekla, koje su već koncem 19. stoljeća podržavale sufražetski pokret i izborile pravo glasa početkom 20. stoljeća, Hrvatice, kao i većina žena drugih etničkih grupa, živjele su u izoliranim etničkim getima naučene na način života i ulogu žene kakav su poznavale u zavičaju gdje su odrasle. Navike iz konzervativne sredine u kojima su oblikovale svoj identitet majke i supruge, ponijele su i u Australiju, u zemlju čiji jezik nisu poznavale zbog čega su ostale daleko od života mainstreama. Čak i onda kad su počele raditi i privređivati izvan doma prošle su težak put oslobađanja iz svoga etničkog geta. Prva mjesta za društvenu interakciju Hrvatica bila su filantropska društva koja su same osnivale i vodile te kulturne udruge koje su im omogućavale kontakt s drugim etničkim grupama i društvom zemlje domaćina. VI. poglavlje donosi sedam životnih priča australskih Hrvata koje pružaju uvid u osobna iskustva iseljeničkog života pripovjedača, ali i u proces stvaranja dijaspore te u dinamiku društvenih odnosa u hrvatskoj zajednici u Australiji. Autori priča su Tomislav Gavranić, Carol Susan Su Mijić koja pripovijeda o svome suprugu Petru Mijiću, Dragica Hedješ, Drago Šaravanja, Luka Budak, Duška Tomašić i Vladimir Mark Jakopanec. Sudionici ovog istraživanja u svemu su različiti: dob, obrazovanje, vrijeme useljavanja, profesija. Jedina poveznica među njima je činjenica da su uključeni u procese dijaspore. Osim osobnih pripovijesti sedmoro sudionika istraživanja, disertacija donosi brojne komentare, mišljenja i izjave pojedinaca vezanih osobnim sudbinama za iskustvo dijaspore. Nakon dubinskog istraživanja teme mita o povratku u hrvatskoj dijaspori u Australiji, koji se upleo u sve oblike društvenog djelovanja dijasporske zajednice u obliku velikog narativa o mesijanskoj ulozi dijaspore u borbi za osamostaljenje Hrvatske, može se zaključiti da su hipoteze postavljene na početku ovog doktorskog rada i provjerene induktivnom metodom istraživanja bile ispravne. Pokazalo se da je hrvatska dijaspora društvena formacija koja odgovara definiciji klasične dijaspore, jer je nastala na etno-nacionalnom supstratu, svojim je transgraničnim vezama bila trajno okrenuta zemlji odselidbe, a u transnacionalnom prostoru, ostalim djasporskim zajednicama i grupacijama, stvarala je institucije radi očuvanja nacionalnog identiteta i funkcioniranja zajednice, gajila je mit o povratku kao narativ za učvršćivanje institucija i povezivanje unutar svoje grupe, te je zahvaljujući tim institucijama osigurala pretpostavku za postupnu integraciju u društvo domaćina. Heuristički pristup temi mita o povratku potvrdio je pretpostavku o terapijskom karakteru mita o povratku tamo gdje je psihička trauma bila evidentna i gdje i druge dijaspore imaju slična iskustva. Mit o povratku poslužio je kolektivnoj svijesti kao lijepilo ili balzam na rane iseljenih. Naposljetku, hrvatska je dijaspora u rasponu od završetka 2. svjetskog rata do međunarodnog priznanja Republike Hrvatske bila snažnija, kompaktnija i razvijenija društvena formacija što je politička i društvena situacija u Hrvatskoj bila kompleksnija i neizvjesnija, a cilj borbe za državu teže dohvatljiv, jer program koji si je zacrtala nije bio pravi povratak, nego legitimiranje vlastitog identiteta 'drugosti' u odnosu na društvo mainstreama kojega je mogla ostvariti jedino međunarodnim priznanjem njezina nacionalnog identiteta. Zaključno, proces ubrzane integracije pripadnika hrvatske dijaspore u australsko društvo u punom je zamahu kao i rastakanje hrvatske dijasporske zajednice kakvu smo poznavali do 90-ih godina 20. stoljeća. After the proclamation of independence and sovereignty as well as the international recognition of the Republic of Croatia, interest in the study of Croatian emigrants in the world and Australia increased among scientists in the social sciences and humanities. Research dedicated to this category of Croatian emigrants mainly deals with historical and cultural aspects of Croatian emigration, learning and caring for the Croatian language among the descendants of emigrants, the life of political organizations, Croatian Catholic missions, and social institutions of Croats in Australia. Therefore, there was a need for a more comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Croatian diaspora, especially at a time when the creation of a core around which newcomers gathered for almost half a century was in full swing. Lesser-known areas of the emigrant experience needed to be explored as it contained many components that affect the life of the diaspora, the emotional and spiritual outlook of the community, the trauma and feelings of ‘otherness’ and alienation. The question of the position of Croatian women in Australian society and family, about which very little is known, was also raised. Finally, it was necessary to prove the accuracy of hypotheses about the ethno-national character of the Croatian diaspora, the role of the myth of return in creating and maintaining national consciousness of the diaspora, creating diaspora institutions that built and maintained the relationship with the old homeland, as well as towards the mainstream society of Australia. It turned out that the concept of the myth of return is insufficiently researched, although it is a ubiquitous phenomenon in all classical diasporas, including the Croatian diaspora. It is noticeable that the phenomenon of the myth of return is associated with the concept of diaspora in all theorists of migration until the late 80's, but also in the works of many postmodern theorists when new interpretations of the Diaspora overtook the social sciences and humanities. It was also necessary to distinguish between the concepts of myth and dream, between individual desire and the complex social construct created by the Diaspora, which is at the same time "material" for forming a range of social institutions of the diaspora in the context of time and space. Paradoxically, the institutions she created to preserve her identity will allow the Diaspora to more easily overcome the process of acculturation and separation from the old homeland in the process of constructing a new identity. This doctoral thesis consists of three parts, which open the possibility of understanding the phenomenon of the diaspora and the role of myth within the diaspora community from three different positions (theoretical, historical, and ethnographic). After the introductory part in Chapter I, follow chapters II., III., and IV. The first part of the paper presents four basic concepts related to the diaspora: the myth of return, semantic mutations of the term diaspora from the point of view of eminent diaspora theorists, and the concepts of "home" and "homeland" which are closely related to the diaspora. The three chapters listed above represent the experiences of other diaspora theorists who encounter similar problems, processes, and phenomena as the Croatian diaspora researcher. In the imagery and discourses nurtured by the diaspora, it was necessary to explain the concept of home and homeland in terms of how they are perceived by the average Croatian emigrant and the myth of return as well as its function in the development of the diaspora community. The paper analyses the views of four diaspora theorists who have made significant contributions to the development of the study of transnational communities. These are William Safran, Robin Cohen, Fernando F. Segovia, and Paul Gilroy. Chapter V. (the second, central part of the dissertation) provides a historical overview of the Croatian immigration to Australia with an emphasis on two models of institution building, political organization and preservation of identity and ties to the homeland (the Croatian communities in Melbourne and Sydney). Political activity developed early among Croatian immigrants, and numerous political organizations were formed that were exclusively subordinated to the goal of creating the Croatian state. Despite the fact that they acted from different political options and were not united in terms of methods of action, what connected all political organizations was the idea of a free Croatia. Members of the diaspora were not particularly interested in the Australian political scene, so they did not need to be active in the political life of the mainstream. Disagreements and tensions between representatives of the Croatian community and political leaders with representatives of the Australian authorities and the Australian public were mainly triggered by indoctrinated individuals and the Yugoslav secret services, which also operated in Australia. This chapter also discusses other forms of social and cultural life of the Croatian diaspora in Australia. The issue of identity, forms of cultural practices, religiosity, and the state of the Croatian language in the family is particularly important. The main guardians of national consciousness in the Croatian diaspora in Australia are Croatian Catholic centres. Apart from being the centres of religious life, they were mostly the initiators and creators of policies, new institutions as well as other forms of organized activities of the Croatian community in Australia. Another factor as a "tool" of mediation between the emigrant community and the homeland was the print media, political forums, radio shows and information centres. It was also necessary to address the issue of the process of hybridization and identity "shifting" of the new generation of Australian Croats, born and educated in Australia. These second-generation Croats were slowly building a bridge to the Australian mainstream, but they did not completely abandon the feeling of shared affections. Unlike Australian women of Anglo-Celtic descent, who supported the suffragette movement in the late 19th century and won the right to vote in the early 20th century, Croats, like most women of other ethnic groups, lived in isolated ethnic ghettos accustomed to lifestyles and roles aligned with women as they knew them in their homelands. Habits from the conservative environment in which mothers and wives formed their identities were taken to Australia, a country whose language they did not know, which is why they stayed away from the mainstream life. Even when they started working and earning money outside the home, they went through a difficult path of liberation from their ethnic ghetto. The first places for the social interaction of Croatian women were philanthropic societies, which they themselves founded and led, and cultural associations that enabled them to make contact with other ethnic groups and the society of the host country. Chapter VI brings seven life stories of Australian Croats that provide insight into the personal experiences of the emigrant life of the narrator, but also in the process of creating a diaspora and the dynamics of social relations in the Croatian community in Australia. The authors of the stories are Tomislav Gavranić, Carol Susan Su Mijić who tells stories about her husband Petar Mijić, Dragica Hedješ, Drago Šaravanja, Luka Budak, DuškaTomašić and Vladimir Mark Jakopanec. The participants in this research are different in everything: age, education, time of immigration. The only link between them is the fact that they are involved in the processes of the diaspora. In addition to the personal narratives of the seven research participants, the dissertation brings numerous comments, opinions, and statements from individuals related to personal destinies within the diaspora experience. After in-depth research on the myth of return in the Croatian diaspora in Australia, which involved all forms of social activity of the diaspora community in the form of a great narrative about the messianic role of the diaspora in the struggle for Croatian independence, it can be concluded that hypotheses set at the beginning were valid. Furthermore, the research method was correct because it turned out that the Croatian diaspora is a social formation that meets the definition of the classical diaspora because because it was created on an ethnonational substrate, with its cross-border connections it was permanently oriented toward the country of emigration. In the transnational space, it was oriented toward other diasporic communities and groups. It created institutions to preserve the national identity and functioning of the community, and it nurtured the myth of return as a narrative for the consolidation of institutions and connections within its group. Thanks to these institutions it provided the prerequisite for acculturation and gradual integration into the host society. The heuristic approach to the topic of the myth of return confirmed the assumption about the therapeutic character of the myth of return where psychological trauma is evident and other diasporas have similar experiences. The myth of return served the collective consciousness as a glue or balm to the wounds of the emigrants’ souls. Finally, the Croatian Diaspora, since the end of World War II. and all the way up to the international recognition of the Republic of Croatia, was a stronger, more compact, and more developed social formation at the time when the political and social situation in Croatia was more complex and uncertain, and the goal of the struggle for the state more difficult. Hence, the myth which was maintained in the Croatian community was not a real yearning to return to the homeland but rather the need for legitimizing one's own identity of "otherness" in front of mainstream society. In conclusion, the process of accelerated integration of members of the Croatian diaspora into Australian society is in full swing, as is the dissolution of the Croatian diaspora community as we knew it.

Socio-psihološka integracija je dimenzija koja se odnosi na integracijske ciljeve vezane uz bliske međusobne odnose izbjeglica i primatelja. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je usporediti pokazatelje socio-psihološke integracije između izbjeglica iz Sirije i članova zajednice primatelja u Hrvatskoj te ispitati ulogu doživljaja realistične i simboličke međugrupne prijetnje kod izbjeglica i primatelja u procesu integracije. Metodom individualne ankete prikupljeni su podaci od 600 primatelja i 149 izbjeglica iz Sirije. Upitnici su sadržavali ista ili komparabilna pitanja o socio-demografskim obilježjima te o socio-ekonomskim i socio-psihološkim pokazateljima integracije. Izbjeglice su pokazale pozitivnije stavove prema primateljima, učestaliji i pozitivniji kontakt, niže razine doživljaja realistične i simboličke prijetnje, veći stupanj socijalne bliskosti i veći udio primatelja u svojoj socijalnoj mreži nego obratno. Izbjeglice koje su imale više obrazovanje i neugodniji kontakt s primateljima pokazale su više razine realistične prijetnje, a one koje su imale neugodniji kontakt su pokazale više razine simboličke prijetnje. Primatelji koji su imali slabije obrazovanje, niži socio-ekonomski status i slabiju potporu pravima izbjeglica pokazali su više razine realistične prijetnje, a oni koji su bili stariji, politički desno orijentirani, doživjeli izbjeglice u manjoj mjeri dijelom zajednice ili manje podupirali njihova prava, imali su više razine simboličke prijetnje. Doživljaj prijetnje javlja se kod pripadnika obje grupe, negativno je povezan s poželjnim integracijskim ishodima i ima potencijal narušiti integracijski proces. Introduction. Integration of refugees and the members of the receiving communities is a two-way, dynamic and multidimensional process that includes members of both groups. Indicators of Integration Framework (Ager and Strang, 2008; Ndofor-Tah et al., 2019) defines four separate, but interlinked dimensions of refugee integration: Markers and Means (corresponding to the socioeconomic dimension), Social Connections (corresponding to the socio-psychological dimension), Facilitators, and Foundation. Each of these dimensions presents a series of integration challenges for refugees, and the success in overcoming them leads to the greater integration of the two groups. Socio-psychological dimension of integration is related to wellbeing of refugees and the members of the receiving communities, whereby both groups overcome challenges related to the positive intergroup relations – frequent and pleasant intergroup contact, high levels of social proximity, intertwining of the social networks, readiness to assist each other, positive intergroup attitudes, low levels of the perception of intergroup threat, etc. So far, research on socio-psychological integration mostly focused on describing and explaining the connections between various socio-psychological constructs believed to be relevant in the explanation of intergroup relations between the refugees and members of the receiving communities. Studies mostly focused on the experiences and perceptions of the receiving community members, with few studies exploring the socio-psychological integration in the refugee community. Correlation research mostly included intergroup attitudes (e.g. Ajduković et al., 2019; Croucamp et al., 2017; Pedersen et al., 2005), perception of intergroup threat (Schweitzer et al., 2005; Stephan et al., 2005; Sunhan et al., 2012), attitudes towards acculturation strategies (Geschke et al., 2010; Haase et al., 2019), intergroup contact (Barlow et al., 2012; De-Tezanos Pinto et al., 2017; Saab et al., 2017), social distance (Bruneau et al., 2017; Koc and Anderson, 2018), support of the receiving community members for the rights of refugees/asylum seekers and support for the integration policies (Verkuyten et al., 2018; Hartley and Pedersen, 2007), emotions and solidarity (Bračić, 2018; Pedersen and Thomas, 2013; Pawlicka et al., 2019; Verkuyten, 2004), political orientation and related personality traits such as right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation (Anderson, 2016; Yitmen and Verkuyten, 2018). Experimental research mostly explored the perceptions of the receiving community members of the differences between groups of migrants (e.g. economic migrants and refugees) (Abeywickarma et al., 2018; Bansak et al., 2016; Gregurović et al., 2016), while the quasi-experimental methodology was used in studying effects of interventions on the changes in prejudicial attitudes towards refugees and asylum seekers (Berndsten et al., 2018; Cameron et al., 2007; Crowell, 2000). Research with refugees in the area of socio-psychological integration included the study of the concept of integration in refugees (Ager and Strang, 2004b), and wishes to return to their country (Di Saint Pierre et al., 2015; Wilson et al., 2017), while a smaller number of studies included intergroup contact (De Tezanos-Pinto et al., 2017; Haase et al., 2019; Saab et al., 2017), perception of attitudes of the receiving community towards own, refugee group (Cheah et al., 2013), experiences of discrimination (Bagci and Canpolat, 2019; Cheah et al., 2013; Di Saint Pierre et al., 2015; Parker, 2018; Wilson et al., 2017), and the role of social support in the process of adjustment to living in a new country (Anatawbi and Al Amad, 2019; Demir and Volkan, 2019; De Anstiss et al., 2019). These studies bring to attention various important connections between the indicators of sociopsychological integration, but also show some methodological shortages. Firstly, the concepts of socio-psychological dimension of integration and its indicators are not well defined. Secondly, the studies almost exclusively include members of the receiving community, thus ignoring integration as a two-way and dynamic process that includes interaction between the minority and majority group. With that, the challenge is to design the comparative indicators of socio-psychological integration for both the receiving community and refugees. Thirdly, the samples used in the aforementioned studies were mostly convenient samples which narrow the possibility of generalization of conclusions to the general public. Fourthly, the sociodemographic and socio-economic characteristics of the participants were included solely as control variables in the models, which contradicts the nature of dimensions of integration as interlinked and dependent on each other. Finally, the choice of predictors and criteria in these studies is not always consistent, with some constructs playing various roles in the models across studies. This doctoral thesis aimed to overcome detected methodological issues of previous research on the socio-psychological integration of refugees and receiving community. Research goal: The goal of this research was to compare the indicators of socio-psychological integration between refugees from Syria and members of the receiving community in Croatia and to explore the role of the perception of realistic and symbolic intergroup threat in refugees and members of the receiving community in the process of integration. To the best of our knowledge, no study has so far attempted to measure the same or comparable indicators of socio-psychological integration and to compare them between the groups. Furthermore, the perception of intergroup threat is a construct with a high potential for influence on the process of integration and has not yet been studied in the refugee communities. Perception of intergroup threat can be linked to the socio-economic and socio-psychological dimensions of integration alike, as well as the aspects of integration related to personal safety and stability, culture, religion and language. According to the Integrated threat theory (ITT, Stephan and Stephan, 2000), the perception of realistic intergroup threat is particularly related to personal and group resources such as employment, education, housing and personal safety. On the other hand, the perception of symbolic intergroup threat is related to the desire to maintain and protect one’s culture, customs, way of life and social identity. Perception of intergroup threat is closely related to the integration challenges of both refugees and receiving community members. Four research problems were defined: (1) To explore the theoretically expected differences in indicators of socio-psychological integration between refugees and members of the receiving community; (2) To determine whether socio-demographic characteristics, socio-economic indicators and socio-psychological indicators of integration predict the perception of realistic and symbolic intergroup threat in refugees from Syria in Croatia, and whether the sociopsychological indicators of integration add to the overall explanation of these criteria above and beyond socio-demographic characteristics and socio-economic indicators of integration; (3) To determine whether socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics and sociopsychological indicators of integration, as well as the perception of the receiving community members of the impact of migration on the socio-economic situation in the country predict the perception of realistic and symbolic intergroup threat in members of the receiving community in Croatia; and (4) To test the mediation effect of the perception of intergroup threat in the relation of intergroup attitudes towards refugees and readiness of the receiving community members to assist refugees. Method: This research is a part of an international, interdisciplinary project Forced Displacement and Refugee-Host community Solidarity (FOCUS) funded by the European Commission from the Horizon 2020 Programme for Research and Innovation. A total of 600 members of the receiving community and 149 refugees from Syria participated in the study. The samples were gathered in three cities in Croatia that host the greatest number of refugees from Syria, thus increasing the probability of intergroup interaction – Zagreb, Karlovac and Sisak. Probabilistic sampling was used for the members of the receiving community who were approached using the Random Walk Technique. Refugees were approached using the Snowball Technique through the social networks of the researchers, interpreters of Arabic and non-governmental organizations that work with refugees. The participants provided answers to the survey questionnaire which contained a series of questions regarding the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants (for both groups), their socio-economic characteristics (for the members of the receiving community) or the indicators of their socio-economic integration (for the refugees), and the indicators of socio-psychological integration (for both groups). The survey questionnaires differed somewhat between the groups – some questions were posed identically for both groups with identical response options, a part of the questions was complementary between the groups, and a portion was exclusive to either group. For the socio-demographic characteristics of the members of the receiving community, age, sex, level of education, the importance of religion in their life, frequency of practising religious customs and political orientation were measured. For the refugees from Syria, age, sex, level of education, the importance of religion in their life, frequency of practising religious customs and the length of stay in Croatia were asked. The total monthly income of the household (in Croatian Kuna) was used as an indicator of the socio-economic status in the sample of the receiving community members. In the refugee sample, alongside the total monthly income of the household (in Kuna), proficiency in the Croatian language was measured as an indicator of socio-economic integration using three items on the proficiency in speaking, writing and reading Croatian. For the receiving community members, the perception of the socio-economic situation of refugees was measured using four items, and the perception of the impact of migration on the socio-economic situation in Croatia was measured using six items. In both groups, the indicators of socio-psychological integration were measured using identical or comparable measures. Intergroup attitudes towards the members of the other group were measured using six items (Intergroup attitudes scale, Ajduković et al., 2019). Perception of intergroup threat was measured using seven items, three for the perception of realistic and four for the perception of symbolic intergroup threat (Perception of threat scale, Ajduković et al., 2019). Intergroup contact was measured using ten items for five contexts of life, with participants estimating the quantity (frequency) and quality (degree of pleasantness) of intergroup contact for each context. The size of the social network of participants and the share of the members of the other group in their social networks were measured using six items. Social proximity was measured using five items (Social proximity scale, Ajduković et al., 2019). The frequency of experiences of discrimination was measured only in the sample of refugees from Syria, with a total of seven items, each relating to a different context of interaction with the members of the receiving community. Support of the members of the receiving community for the rights of refugees was measured using twelve items (Support for the rights of asylees scale, Ajduković et al., 2019), and their readiness to assist refugees was measured using four items (Readiness to assist asylees, Ajduković et al., 2019). Finally, in the receiving community sample, the participants estimated the degree to which the refugees were a part of the community they live in, in Croatia, using one item. Analysis: The analysis consisted of data preparation and preliminary analysis, analysis of characteristics of the participants in two samples using descriptive statistics, psychometric evaluation of scales including structural modelling, invariance testing and reliability testing, t-tests and chi-squares for comparison of the indicators of socio-psychological integration between the groups, hierarchical regression analysis for testing the prediction model of perception of intergroup threat in refugees, structural modelling for testing the prediction model of perception of intergroup threat in members of the receiving community, and structural modelling for testing the mediation effect of the perception of intergroup threat between the intergroup attitudes of the members of the receiving community towards the refugees and their readiness to assist refugees. Results: Refugees from Syria have shown a more positive view of the members of the receiving community than vice-versa in all indicators of socio-psychological integration. They presented more positive intergroup attitudes (t(434.350)= -24.846, p < .001, d = -1.844), lower levels of the perception of realistic (t(734) = 4.387, p < .001, d = 0.417), and symbolic intergroup threat (ts(736) = 10.751, p < .001, ds = 1.015), more frequent and more positive intergroup contact across all five contexts, a greater share of members of the receiving community in their social network than vice-versa (acquaintances – χ 2 (4, N = 741)= 467.510, p < .001; friends – χ 2 (4, N = 740) = 437.055, p < .001, persons to call for help – χ 2 (4, N = 744) = 413.838, p < .001), and a greater degree of social proximity (t(520.862)= -18.979, p < .001, d = -1.341). For refugees from Syria, two hierarchical regression analyses were conducted on multiply imputed datasets (m = 100) to determine significant predictors of (1) perception of realistic intergroup threat, and (2) perception of symbolic intergroup threat. For the perception of realistic intergroup threat, a prediction model included age, level of education, employment status, total monthly income of the household and Croatian language proficiency (step 1), quantity and quality of intergroup contact and frequency of experiences of discrimination (step 2). In step 1, only level of education was a significant predictor (b = 0.566, SE = 0.210, t = 2.682, p = .008), and the model explained around four percent of the total variance of the criterion (R 2 = .071, 95% CI [.012, .172], fmi = .07; Adj R 2 = .038, 95% CI [.001, .126], fmi = .127). In the second step, the level of education (b = 0.540, SE = 0.209, t = 2.582, p = .011) and the quality of intergroup contact with the members of the receiving community (b = -0.737, SE = 0.278, t = -2.654, p = .009) were significant predictors, and the model explained around seven percent of the total variance of the criterion (R 2 = .127, 95% CI [.041, .243], fmi = .068; Adj R 2 = .076, 95% CI [.012, .182], fmi = .111). Multivariate Wald test showed that the addition of the predictors in step 2 significantly increased the fit of the model to the collected data (d1 = 2,37, df1 = 3, df2 = 136, dfcom = 140, p = .073, riv = .178). For the perception of symbolic intergroup threat in refugees, a prediction model included age, level of education, frequency of practising religious customs and importance of religion in the life of the participant (step 1), and quantity and quality of intergroup contact and frequency of experiences of discrimination (step 2). In step 1 no predictor was significant, and the percentage of the explained variance of the criterion was very small, around three percent (R 2 = .029, 95% CI [.000, .109], fmi = .109). In the second step, the quality of the intergroup contact of refugee participants with the members of the receiving community was the sole significant predictor (b = -0.874, SE = 0.235, t = -3.718, p < .001), and the model explained around ten percent of the variance of the perception of symbolic intergroup threat in refugees (R 2 = .147, 95% CI [.054, .268], fmi = .073; Adj R 2 = .105, 95% CI [.027, .219], fmi = .101). Prediction models of perception of realistic and symbolic intergroup threat in members of the receiving community were tested using structural equation modelling. A very high number of missing values and a very small variability of the available data in the measures of quantity and quality of intergroup contact indicated that the contact the members of the receiving community have with the refugees is very rare and that the participants could not consistently estimate its quality. Therefore, intergroup contact was not included in the tested models. The model included the perception of realistic intergroup threat as a latent criterion, with two latent predictors – perception of the impact of migration on the socio-economic situation in the country, and support for the rights of refugees; and five single-item predictors – age, level of education, total monthly income of the household, political orientation and perception of the degree to which the refugees were a part of the community in which they live in, in Croatia (society membership). Covariances between item-level predictors and covariances between two indicators of the perception of the impact of migration were included in the model. Covariance between the latent variable of support for the rights of refugees and the item-level variable of perception of the degree to which the refugees are a part of the community was also allowed. This model presented a satisfying fit (χ 2 (79, N = 600) = 329.637, p < .001; CFI = .917; TLI = .896; RMSEA = .073, CI 90% [.065, .081]; SRMR = .071), and has in total explained 21% of the variance of the perception of realistic intergroup threat. Significant predictors were the level of education (β = -.110, b = -0.080, SE = 0.031, z = -2.578, p = .010, CI 95% [-.140, -.019]), total monthly income of the household of the participant (β = -.114, b = -0.022, SE = 0.009, z = -2.315, p = .021, CI 95% [-.040, -.003), political orientation (β = .217, b = 0.137, SE = 0.032, z = 4.257, p < .001, CI 95% [.074, .200]), and support for the rights of refugees (β = -.307, b = -0.290, SE = 0.052, z = -5.524, p < .001, CI 95% [-.392, -.187]). The prediction model for the perception of symbolic intergroup threat in receiving community members included the perception of symbolic intergroup threat as a latent criterion, one latent predictor – support for the rights of refugees; and six item-level predictors – age, level of education, political orientation, the importance of religion in the life of the participant, frequency of practising religious customs and the perception of the degree to which the refugees are a part of the community they live in Croatia (society membership). Covariances between item-level predictors were allowed, as well as the covariance between the support for the rights of refugees and the society membership. This model showed a good fit (χ 2 (42, N = 600) = 148.849, p < ,001; CFI = .955; TLI = .939; RMSEA = .065, CI 90% [.054 , .077]; SRMR = .046), and explained almost 38% of the variance of the perception of symbolic intergroup threat. Significant predictors were age (β = .105, b = 0.008, SE = 0.003, z = -2.700, p = .007, CI 95% [.002, .014]), political orientation (β = .152, b = 0.122, SE = 0.039, z = 3.111, p = .002, CI 95% [.045, .200]), support for the rights of refugees (β = -.518, b = -0.618, SE = 0.058, z = -10.564, p < ,001, CI 95% [-.732, -.503]), and the society membership (β = -.122, b = -0.141, SE = 0.056, z = -2.519, p = .012, CI 95% [-.205, -,031]). A model testing the mediation of the perception of realistic and symbolic threat in the prediction of the readiness to assist refugees based on intergroup attitudes showed a poor fit to the collected data. Modification indices indicated a need for multiple factor loadings of items which are theoretically measures of a single factor. Therefore, the changes in the model were not supported by the theory and previous empirical research and were not implemented in the model. Discussion: This research studied the indicators of socio-psychological integration in refugees from Syria and members of the receiving community in Croatia with special emphasis on the role of the perception of intergroup threat in both groups. It was shown that the refugees consistently perceive the receiving community in a more positive light than vice-versa. Refugees from Syria showed more positive attitudes towards the receiving community, a greater level of social proximity towards it, a greater share of receiving community members in their social circles, and more frequent and more positive intergroup contact than the receiving community members showed. Additionally, the refugees presented lower levels of perception of realistic and symbolic intergroup threat than did the receiving community members, though based on the Integrated threat theory, the refugees are expected to present higher levels of perception of the realistic intergroup threat than receiving community. In another, qualitative research conducted with refugees from Syria and the receiving community members in Croatia, the authors found strong narratives presenting the perception of realistic threat in the receiving community members, which was equally, if not more prominent than symbolic intergroup threat and often justified based on the macro-economic situation in the country (Kiralj and Ajduković, in press). Members of the receiving community did show less frequent intergroup contact with the refugees from Syria, as expected, but this contact was much rarer than expected. Although the sampling of the receiving community was probabilistic in three cities that host the greatest number of refugees, it seems that the very small size of the refugee population lead to the low likelihood of intergroup contact. Some research shows the effect of imagined contact on the reduction of prejudice and pro-social behaviour (Miles and Crisp, 2013), and the effect of spontaneous imagining of pleasant contact on attitudes and social distance towards the members of the other group (Stathi et al., 2019). It is possible that in the absence of real-world intergroup contact, techniques like imagining pleasant contact can positively influence indicators of sociopsychological integration and lead to desired outcomes, such as the reduction of intergroup threat and promoting positive intergroup attitudes. Refugees with higher levels of education and those who estimated the quality of their contact with the members of the receiving group as more negative have also showed higher perception of realistic intergroup threat. Those refugees who estimated the quality of intergroup contact as more negative also reported higher perception of symbolic intergroup threat. These findings add to other empirical findings on the importance of intergroup contact in the mechanism of intergroup threat. Very low percentage of explained variance of perception of realistic and symbolic threat indicates that constructs predicting the perception of threat in the receiving community might not be adequate for the explanation of the phenomena in the refugee community. Members of the receiving community who had lower levels of education, lower total monthly income of the household, those who were right-wing oriented and those who showed lesser support for the rights of the refugees presented higher levels of perception of realistic intergroup threat. Similarly, those who were older, right-wing politically oriented, who perceived the refugees to be a part of the society to a lesser extent and those who showed lesser support for the rights of refugees, presented higher levels of the perception of symbolic intergroup threat. These prediction models explained a fair amount of the variance of the criteria and validated previous empirical findings in the field. Conclusion:Integration of refugees and receiving communities is a multidimensional, dynamic and complex phenomenon that should be studied in both groups simultaneously. This study adds to the existing literature on the integration process, socio-psychological integration and intergroup relations by taking into account the interplay of the socio-economic and socio-psychological dimensions of integration. By including the members of both groups and asking the same or comparable questions, this research is the first to our knowledge to study the similarities and differences between the two groups in the indicators of socio-psychological integration and adds to the body of research on the perception of intergroup threat by studying the predictors of intergroup threat in receiving community members and in refugees from Syria.

Duga povijest iseljavanja stanovništva s područja Hrvatske otvorila je različite institucionalne prostore koji su u svom fokusu imali iseljeništvo. Odnos prema iseljeništvu i iseljeništva prema domovini ovisio je i o simboličkom sustavu domovine (Austo-Ugarska, Kraljevina Jugoslavija, NDH, SFRJ, Republika Hrvatska) kao i prostoru njihove dislokacije. U fokusu ovoga rada je hrvatska politička emigracija nakon Drugog svjetskog rata u Argentini, njihov odnos prema domovini i domovine prema njima. Polazeći od analize diskursa i naslanjajući se na radove Michela Foucaulta, Judith Butler, Ernesta Laclaua & Chantal Mouffe, Jacques Derride i Ane-Marie Fortier u ovoj doktorskoj disertaciji poseban je fokus na analizi tekstova u časopisu Hrvatska misao: knjižica za kulturna, politička i socialna pitanja (El pensamiento Croata) koja je izlazila u Buenos Airesu u razdoblju od 1953. do 1970. Analizom narativa (kao diskurzivne forme) o domu i domovini fokus je na konstruiranju i rekonstruiranju nacionalnog identiteta hrvatske političke emigracije u Argentini u odnosu spram identitetskih odrednica kao što su etnicitet, klasa, rod i generacija te, na temelju koncepta performativnosti etničkog identiteta stvaranju i „pokrivanju“ konstitutivnih normi kojima se legitimira zajednica. Odnos domovine prema hrvatskoj političkoj emigraciji (kako SFRJ tako i Republike Hrvatske) sagledan je kroz analizu tekstova o političkoj emigraciji i narativa u hrvatskom javnom prostoru u čijem se središtu nalazi arhivska građa o hrvatskoj političkoj emigraciji. Analiza ukazuje na različita pozicioniranja i repozicioniranja unutar različitih institucionalnih prostora usmjeravajući se na intertekstualne i interdiskurzivne relacije i korelacije narativa i značenja koja se stvaraju te ideoloških fantazija i njihovih učinaka posebno u današnjem hrvatskom javnom prostoru, odnosno antagonizama koji oblikuju prvenstveno subjektnu poziciju političke emigracije, ali i drugih društvenih pozicija kroz procese uključivanja i isključivanja. Analiza raznih ideoloških fantazija koje strukturiraju realnost ključna je u ovom radu jer omogućava ne samo analizu načina na koji se subjekti identificiraju s određenim društvenim pozicijama, već ukazuje i na kompleksnost, promjenjivost i kontingentnost kako samih pozicija, tako i procesa koji dovode do njih. Fokus na ideološku fantaziju otvorio je i pitanje uloge emocija odnosno analizu proizvođenja i izvođenja emocija u konstruiranju osjećaja pripadanja određenoj grupi ili naciji koja je utemeljena na konceptu „emocionalnosti teksta“ Sare Ahmed. The long history of emigration from the territory of Croatia has opened up various institutional spaces that focused on emigration. The attitude of the homeland towards diaspora and vice versa depended on the symbolic system of the homeland (Austria-Hungary, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Independent State of Croatia, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Croatia) as well as on the area of their dislocation. This paper focuses on the Croatian political diaspora in Argentina after World War II, their relationship with the homeland and vice versa. Starting from the discourse analysis and drawing on the works of Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, Ernest Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, Jacques Derrida and Ane-Marie Fortier, this doctoral dissertation focuses on the analysis of texts in the journal Hrvatska misao: knjižica za kulturna, politička i socialna pitanja (El pensamiento Croata), which was published in Buenos Aires from 1953 to 1970. The analysis of narratives (as a discursive form) about home and homeland focuses on the construction and reconstruction of the national identity of Croatian political diaspora in Argentina in respect of identity determinants, such as ethnicity, class, gender and generation and, based on the concept of the performativity of ethnic identity, on “covering” constitutive norms legitimising a community. The attitude of the homeland (both the SFRY and the Republic of Croatia) towards Croatian political diaspora is addressed through the analysis of texts on political diaspora and narratives in the Croatian public space, with archival material on Croatian political diaspora at its centre. The analysis points to various positionings and repositionings within various institutional spaces, focusing on intertextual and interdiscursive relations and correlations between narratives and meanings that are created, as well as ideological fantasies and their effects, especially in today's Croatian public space, that is, antagonisms that use the processes of inclusion and exclusion to shape primarily the subject position of political diaspora, but also other social positions. The analysis of various ideological fantasies that structure reality has a crucial role in this paper because it not only allows the analysis of the way subjects identify with certain social positions but also indicates the complexity, variability and contingency of both positions and the processes that lead to them. The focus on ideological fantasy has also opened the issue of the role of emotions or the analysis of the generation and performance of emotions in constructing the sense of belonging to a certain group or nation, which is based on the concept of “the emotionality of the text” by Sara Ahmed.

Cilj: Utvrditi kod kojih je standardnih i nestandardnih mjera spolni dimorfizam izražen, razviti statističke modele za procjenu spola s pomoću pojedinačnih mjera i njihovih kombinacija te usporediti njihovu točnost. Cilj je bio i ispitati sličnost u spolnome dimorfizmu s drugim populacijama iz srodnoga vremensko-prostornoga okvira, odnosno širu primjenjivost razvijenih metričkih standarda. Metode: U istraživanje su uključeni ljudski koštani ostatci s dvaju nalazišta sa salonitanskih nekropola, nalazišta Solin – Smiljanovac (974 groba) i Bencunuše – Porta Salonae (15 grobova), datiranih 1. – 6., i 2. – 5. stoljeća. Za razvoj metričkih standarda za procjenu spola, uključeni su kosturi odraslih osoba iz kosturnih jednostrukih ukopa ili onih kod kojih je bilo moguće točno razdvojiti osobe. Isključeni su kosturi sa sustavnim patološkim promjenama i/ili anomalijama. Spol je procijenjen DSP metodom na temelju 4 – 10 dostupnih mjera zdjelice. Na kostima bez izraženih posmrtnih oštećenja i/ili patoloških i traumatskih promjena izmjereno je 84 standardnih i 19 nestandardnih mjera. Kod parnih kostiju izmjerene su obje kosti radi ispitivanja bilateralne asimetričnosti, a 20 kostura izmjereno je u dvama krugovima kako bi se ispitala ponovljivost. Ispitano je postoje li razlike u dimenzijama kostura između klasičnoga razdoblja i kasne antike. Ispitano je kod kojih je mjera spolni dimorfizam izražen te su linearnom diskriminacijskom analizom izračunane funkcije za procjenu spola, kao i podatci o njihovoj točnosti. Mjere kostura uspoređene su s mjerama kasnoantičke populacije Tarragone i uvrštene u diskriminacijske funkcije razvijene na toj populaciji. Rezultati: DSP metodom spol je uspješno procijenjen na kosturima 106 muškaraca i 101 žene ujednačene dobne strukture. Devet je mjera isključeno zbog nedostatne razine ponovljivosti. Kod 10/48 parnih mjera bilateralna asimetrija bila je statistički značajna. Mjere kostura iz klasičnoga i kasnoantičkoga razdoblja nisu se značajno razlikovale. Statistički značajan spolni dimorfizam zapažen je kod 62/80 standardnih te svih nestandardnih mjera. Razvijeno je 75 jednovarijantnih diskriminacijskih funkcija točnosti 63 % – 92,1 % te 18 viševarijantnih, točnosti 77,2 % – 93,1 %. Točnost veću od 80 % ostvarilo je 43/75 jednovarijantnih te 17/18 viševarijantnih funkcija. Mjere zglobnih ploha i nestandardne mjere opsega dijafiza ostvarile su najveću razinu točnosti, a bile su i najdostupnije u istraživanju. Sve mjere koje su bile bilateralno asimetrične dostigle su veću točnost uporabom mjere veće strane. Mjere kostura iz salonitanske populacije bile su veće od mjera kostura iz tarragonske populacije, a diskriminacijske funkcije razvijene na toj populaciji nisu se mogle uspješno primijeniti na salonitanskoj. Zaključci: Ponovljivost mjerenja bila je zadovoljavajuća za većinu standardnih i nestandardnih mjera te je kod većine standardnih i svih nestandardnih mjera spolni dimorfizam bio izražen, pa su standardne i odabrane nestandardne mjere pogodne za uporabu. Mjere kostura iz klasičnoga i kasnoantičkoga razdoblja nisu se značajno razlikovale, zbog čega bi standardi trebali biti primjenjivi na kosturnim ukopima iz obaju razdoblja. U istraživanju je razvijen veliki broj diskriminacijskih funkcija visoke točnosti, što upućuje na važnost uključivanja standardnih mjera, ali i primjene odabranih nestandardnih mjera u budućim istraživanjima. Većina mjera s najvećom točnošću bila je i najčešće zastupljena u uzorku (posebno nestandardne mjere opsega), pa je pouzdana procjena spola u promatranoj populaciji moguća gotovo neovisno o stupnju očuvanosti kostura. Istaživanje je također pokazalo i važnost analiziranja bilateralne asimetrije jer je veća točnost procjene spola ostvarena mjerama kod kojih je ona bila statistički značajna, i to upravo na strani koja je bila veća. Najveći stupanj točnosti ostvaren je s pomoću viševarijantnih funkcija, no on nije bio znatno veći od ponajboljih jednovarijantnih funkcija. Rezultati su pokazali da izraženost spolnoga dimorfizma nije slična u populaciji Salone i kasnoantičkoj populaciji Tarragone te da diskriminacijske funkcije nisu međusobno primjenjive, pa se njihova pouzdanost prije primjene na drugim populacijama mora ispitati. Aim: To determine which standard and non-standard measurements exhibit sexual dimorphism, to develop statistical models for sex estimation using single and multiple measurements, and to compare their accuracy. The additional aim was to test the similarity of sexual dimorphism with other populations from a related temporal and spatial frame, i.e., to test the broader applicability of the developed discriminant functions. Methods: The sample comprised skeletons from two archaeological sites from Salona necropoles, Solin-Smiljanovac (974 graves) and Bencunuše-Porta Salonae (15 graves), dated 1st – 6th and 2nd – 5th century. To develop sex estimation standards, we selected only adult skeletons form skeletal burials and single-burial graves or those in which persons could be separated. We also excluded those with systematic pathological changes or anomalies. For sex estimation, we employed DSP method using 4 – 10 pelvic measurements. We took 84 standard and 19 non-standard measurements on the bones free of post-mortem damage, pathological or traumatic changes. For paired bones, we took measurements on each side to test bilateral asymmetry, and for 20 skeletons we took measurements twice to test repeatability. We tested if skeletal measurements differ in the sample from the classical period and late antiquity. We examined which measurements show sexual dimorphism, developed functions for sex estimation using linear discriminant analysis, and calculated data on accuracy. We compared skeletal measurements to those of late antique Tarragona population, and tested applicability of discriminant functions developed on Tarragona population on our sample. Results: DSP method estimated sex for 106 male and 101 female skeletons with similar age distribution. We excluded nine measurements due to measurement error. Total of 10/48 paired measurements showed statistically significant bilateral asymmetry. Skeletal measurements did not differ significantly on samples from the classical period and late antiquity. 62/80 measurements showed statistically significant sexual dimorphism. We developed 75 univariate discriminant functions with accuracy 63% – 92.1% and 18 multivariate functions with accuracy 77.2% – 93.1%. 284 For 43/75 univariate and 17/18 multivariate functions sexing accuracy was greater than 80%. Articular surface measurements and non-standard shaft circumference measurements reached the highest accuracy rates and were also the most represented in the sample. Univariate discriminant functions that included bilaterally asymmetric measurements obtained higher accuracy when using right-side measurements. Measurements from Salona population were greater than those of Tarragona population and previously developed discriminant functions could not be applied to the sample from Salona. Conclusions: Most of the standard and non-standard measurements were sufficiently repeatable and exhibited sexual dimorphism, which means that standard and selected non-standard measurements are suitable for application in osteometric research. As skeletal measurements from the classical period and late antiquity did not differ significantly, discriminant functions should be applicable on skeletal burials from both periods. In this research, we developed a large number of highly accurate discriminant functions which highlighted the importance both of the standard and of the selected non-standard measurements in sex estimation research. Most of the measurements with the highest accuracy rate were also the most represented once in the sample (especially non-standard circumference measurements), so reliable sex estimation on observed population should be almost independent of skeletal preservation. The research emphasized the importance of the independent analysis of measurements that showed statistically significant bilateral asymmetry because we obtained higher accuracy rates when using functions that included measurements from a greater side. We obtained the highest accuracy with multivariate discriminant models, but their accuracy was not considerably greater than the accuracy of best univariate functions. The population comparison showed that sexual dimorphism was not similar in Salona and Tarragona population and that discriminant functions are not mutually applicable. Therefore, the reliability of discriminant functions developed in the present study should be tested prior to the application to another population.