ABSTRACT

Ideas of multiculturalism are now among the highest priorities on the political agenda of contemporary Europe. The successful implementation of principles of multiculturalism is seen as an ideal that provides the foundations of a united Europe. An examination of the context of the multicultural reality of this Mediterranean part of Slovenia reveals that formal citizenship does not necessarily entail other political and civic rights. In Slovene Istria rights are granted on the basis of nationality or, to be exact, on the autochthonous or immigrant status of minority groups. In addition to the factor of localism, the perceived lower level of national loyalty can be explained by the transnational stance of the population of Slovene Istria. In Europe, the concept of multiculturalism became popular in the 1970s and 1980s and was primarily nourished by ideas of European integration. The implementation of ideas of multiculturalism was more difficult in Europe with its corporate tradition than in America with its more liberal tradition.