Scientific Monograph on Gorjani near Đakovo Presented

On Friday, 23 May 2025, in the town of Gorjani, the scientific monograph and collection of academic papers titled "Gorjani – the Place, the People, the Heritage, the Identity" was officially presented. The presentation of this major work brought together the publisher and co-publishers, including Mons. Đuro Hranić, Archbishop of Đakovo-Osijek, along with many esteemed figures from the fields of culture and public life. The monograph was published by the Municipality of Gorjani, in cooperation with co-publishers: the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences, the Catholic University of Croatia, the Croatian Institute of History, the Faculty of Croatian Studies, and the Croatian Conservation Institute.

As stated in the editorial foreword, the volume offers a "heritage narrative of what is today a small Slavonian village, once a leading urban, demographic, social, political, and economic center of eastern Croatia – Gorjani." The book gathers academic papers from the scientific and professional conference "Gorjani – the Place, the People, the Identity, the Heritage", held in October 2022. The conference was organized by the Municipality of Gorjani and prepared in collaboration with the aforementioned institutions.
 

The monograph delves into a broad spectrum of topics: from rich archaeological sites, historical events and processes, migrations and demographic shifts, to sacred and folk heritage, education, and culture – all of which form the multifaceted identity of Gorjani. Given the complexity of this identity, which has been shaped through millennia of continuous habitation, the necessity of an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary scientific approach is emphasized. Accordingly, the conference featured contributions from over 40 prominent Croatian scholars and experts, offering the academic and general public numerous new insights and findings.
 

This comprehensive, multi-author edited volume – the result of months of preparation – contains 37 scholarly and professional papers, enriched with diverse supplementary materials (maps, photographs, drawings, facsimiles of documents), allowing for a deeper exploration of the topics covered. Due to the large number of contributions, the book is structured into four thematic sections: Gorjani Through History – 16 papers; The Population of Gorjani – 4 papers; The Cultural Heritage of Gorjani – 7 papers; Archaeological Research and Heritage of Gorjani – 10 papers.

The monograph was edited by Dražen Živić, PhD, and Ivana Žebec Šilj, PhD. Representing the Catholic University of Croatia and Rector Prof. Željko Tanjić, PhD, at the event was Prof. Hrvoje Kekez, PhD, a member of the editorial board of this valuable scholarly work.