The book was published by the HNV and it was presented by, among others, reviewer Slobodan Prosperov Novak and the author himself. The launch was attended by Croatian Consul Jasminka Lončarević and Ivo Vidojević from the Croatian Embassy to Montenegro.
Prosperov Novak said this book had been due for half a century. "It seems to me we are facing an important task, launching the establishment of a Croatian Historical Institute in Kotor or Tivat ," he said, adding that over time, this institute could initiate key publications and establish strong connections with Croatian, Italian, and Montenegrin cultural institutions.
On Saturday evening in Donja Lastva, Stipe Kljaić and Vidović gave a lecture focusing on the historical development of Croatian identity in Montenegro.
According to the HNV, the lecturers explored how the national consciousness of Croats in Montenegro was shaped over the centuries, starting from proto-national phases, when identity markers were based more on local, religious, and cultural communities rather than the modern concept of a nation, up to the development of the modern Croatian national identity.
Special attention was given to Red Croatia, a medieval region that encompassed areas of present-day southern Dalmatia, parts of Herzegovina, and the territory of present-day Montenegro.
This historical region is considered important for understanding the formation of Croatian identity in these areas because, Kljaić pointed out, Croats in these regions historically underwent various political, cultural, and social transformations that shaped their sense of belonging.
Faith, nation, and identity are inseparable and should be preserved, Vidović said, adding that the facts of identity cannot be silenced, and the past must be safeguarded from being forgotten.