International Scientific Conference Transformations of Local Communities in the 21st Century Held in Vukovar as Part of the LozaRH Project; Vukovar, 9-10/10/2026
The international scientific conference Transformations of Local Communities in the 21st Century was held in Vukovar on 9 and 10 October. The conference programme comprised 27 presentations, seven of which were based on research findings obtained within the project Transformations of Local Communities in the Republic of Croatia: Gloalization Challenges and Development Potentials, funded by the European Union under the NextGenerationEU (01/08-73/23-2519-11)
One of the conference’s keyote lectures was delivered by Marija Geiger Zeman, PhD, entitled “What Does the Local Community Mean to Sociology (and Vice Versa)? Reflections on New Approaches and the Potential of Innovative Research Methods.” In addition, the project’s researchers prepared the following presentations for the conference:
• Research Assistant Marta Keglević, “Which Places Are Near and Dear to Your Heart? A Typology of Meaningful Places in the Local Community: The Case of Tovarnik”
• Sandra Cvikić, PhD, “Bayesian Reasoning in Qualitative Research of Irregular Migration: Examples from Community Life on the Border”
• Matea Milak, PhD, and Krešimir Peračković, PhD, “Features and Activities of Local Communities Under the Influence of New Technologies: Real, Virtual, and/or Hybrid Communities”
• Dražen Živić, PhD, “Demographic Transformation in Continental and Adriatic Croatia: Similarities and Differences”
• Mateo Žanić, PhD, Geran-Marko Miletić, PhD, and Sara Ursić, PhD, “Attachment in Motion: The Effects of Mobility on People’s Relationship with Place”
• Ivana Bendra, PhD, and Research Assistant Marta Keglević:,“Local Communities and Opportunities for Achieving Material Well-Being: Regional Differences from the Perspective of the Capability Approach”
The conference addressed a wide range of issues related to demographic, spatial and social processes that significantly influence people’s everyday lives in the contemporary world. The international character of the conference was further enhanced by presentations from participants from the University of Zielona Góra in Poland, a co-organiser of the conference, and colleagues and members of the organising committee from “1 December 1918” University of Alba Iulia in Romania.
Participants from Poland delivered three presentations, one of which was a plenary lecture entitled “Locality Under Pressure in Poland: Structural Inequalities and Changing Orientations,” delivered by Dorota Szaban, PhD. These international contributions further enriched the conference programme, broadened the discussion of the diverse experiences and challenges faced by local communities, and highlighted the international relevance of the topics explored by the LozaRH project and the conference itself.
