DETUROPE - The Central European Journal of Regional Development and Tourism 2024, 16(3):57-81 | DOI: 10.32725/det.2024.011

Ethnic diversity changes of Vojvodina between 1990 and 2020

Dávid Moró^a, Péter Reményi^b,c

a University of Pécs, Doctorate School of Earth Sciences, 7625 Pécs, Ifjúság útja 6.

b University of Pécs, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, 7625 Pécs, Ifjúság útja 6.

c HUN-REN CERS Institute for Regional Studies, 7621 Pécs, Papnövelde u. 22.

Vojvodina, a region in the southern part of the Pannonian Plain, is home to a significant Hungarian ethnic minority living beyond the borders of Hungary. Located in northern Serbia, it has become one of Europe's most ethnically diverse regions since the 17th and 18th centuries. This diversity is largely due to planned and spontaneous migrations aimed at compensating for the substantial population loss that occurred during the Ottoman conquest of the region and the subsequent wars of reconquest. Historical, political, and economic transformations have drastically altered the dynamics between ethnic groups multiple times. In the second half of the 20th century, homogenization at the provincial level became a predominant trend. Conversely, at the municipal level, various degrees of parallel homogenization and diversification can be observed, depending on local ethnic structures and regional demographic changes. Analyzing ethnic diversity plays a crucial role in quantitative ethnic studies; however, the societal effects of this diversity are still widely debated. Using the ethnic diversity index, we analyze census results from Yugoslavia and Serbia to identify major trends regarding changes in ethnic diversity at both the regional and municipal levels. We argue that large-scale homogenization occurred in the 1990s at the regional level, a trend that has continued thereafter, albeit at a reduced pace. Changes at the municipality level, however, varied significantly, influenced by both spatial and ethnic factors. We have organized the municipalities into four basic groups based on their ongoing diversification processes and current levels of ethnic diversity compared to the regional average.

Keywords: Vojvodina, ethnic diversity, homogenization, ethnic diversity index

Published: February 3, 2025  Show citation