Multiple identification processes on the Island of Korcula (nested identities).

The aim of this paper is to investigate the ways contemporary identification processes on the island of Korcula take place. The changes in the political situation during 1990s, as well as contemporary context of the accession of the Republic of Croatia into European integration, provided the new "arena" for the expression of different identifications. The positioning of identities into the wider context, either on vertical or horizontal level, is also important in these processes. The research was carried out at all the major settlements on the island of Korcula by qualitative methodological tools and ethnographic approach. The results indicate the existence of nested identities on the island of Korcula (ranging from supranational (European) to national and regional and finally to diverse local identifications and their situational and dynamic character. The nested identities on the island of Korcula demonstrate their mutual compatibility and the fact that not only identities of the higher order (regional, for example) comprise the identities of the lower order (local, for example); the reverse process also takes place. The members of seemingly close and similar island communities in fact have very differentiated local identifications that are very often equally important or even more important than identities of the higher order, such as national.