Translocal Practices as a Way of Life for Burgenland Croats in Austria

Abstract

Since the end of the 19th century, some Burgenland Croats have gone from Burgenland to Vienna to find work and pursue education. However, contacts with family and friends in Burgenland were not neglected. In fact, Burgenland Croats would live in Vienna during the week and in Burgenland over the weekend. This paper, based on the material collected by ethnological and cultural anthropological research, shows that this translocal way of life is practiced to this day and contributes to community cohesion. The research points to the transformation of translocal practices into lifestyle migrations, which was further fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Key words
Burgenland Croats, translocal practices, lifestyle migrations, Covid-19