Assistant Professor Žižić Lectured at the Theological-Pastoral Seminar for Priests of the Archdiocese of Đakovo-Osijek

Asst. Prof. Dr. Jakov Žižić from the Department of Communication Studies at the Catholic University of Croatia participated in the Theological-Pastoral Seminar for priests of the Archdiocese of Đakovo-Osijek, held in Đakovo from 17 to 19 September 2025. Žižić gave a lecture on the topic “The Social Structure of Late Modernism and the Question of Migration.”

In his lecture, Žižić analyzed the transformations of social structures from the industrial to the late modernist era, emphasizing that since the 1970s Western societies have undergone profound changes: the disappearance of industrial labor, the growth of the service sector, and a new division into the new and old middle classes and the lower class. The new middle class, composed of highly educated professionals in the knowledge economy, gravitates toward large cities and liberal values. The old middle class, on the other hand, remains tied to local communities and traditional patterns, often facing a sense of defensiveness in the face of cultural and economic changes. Special attention was given to migration and the role of foreign labor. Žižić pointed out that while migrants contribute to sustaining the economic system, these processes are primarily driven by the interests of capital and ideology.