Argentines of Slovene descent

ethnic group
group= Argentines of Slovene descent (Argentinski Slovenci)
poptime= 30,000 [http://www.zrc-sazu.si/ZGDS/glasgow/16.pdf Ethnic Structure of Slovenia and Slovenes in Neighbouring Countries] ]
popplace= Buenos Aires, Bariloche,
Mendoza
langs= Slovene
rels= Catholic with a Lutheran minority

Argentines of Slovene descent, also Slovene-Argentines or Argentine Slovenes ( _sl. Argentinski Slovenci), is a term referring to the group of Slovenes residing in Argentina. According to Jernej Zupančič by the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, they number around 30,000.

History

The Slovenes in Argentina are descendents of three main groups of immigrants that arrived from the Slovene Lands mostly in the 20th century. The first were economic immigrants from the Prekmurje region and the Hungarian Slovenes. The second, much stronger wave was represented by Slovenes from the Julian March who moved to Argentina in the 1930s to escape the Italian Fascist persecution; they came mostly from the Vipava Valley and the Kras plateau. Their number was estimated to around 30,000. The third way was composed of Slovene political immigrants that settled in Argentina after 1945 to escape Communist persecution. Their number was between 6,000 and 8,000. Most of the descendants of the latter group still use the Slovene language, including second and third-generation immigrants.

Notable personalities

*Ivan Ahčin, journalist, sociologist and politician
*Andrej Bajuk, banker and politician
*Tine Debeljak, literary historian and essayist
*Emilio Komar, philosopher
*Anton Novačan, author, politician and diplomat
*Franc Rode, Roman Catholic prelate
*Zorko Simčič, author
*Viktor Sulčič, architect
*Juan Vasle, singer and journalist

External links

* [http://www.slo.org.ar/ Zedinjena Slovenija - Association of Slovene Organizations in Argentina]

References