Abstract
The paper discusses the impact of recent socio-economic and geopolitical changes on cultural ties and ethnic identity formation in the wider area of Čabar, Croatia. It emphasises the importance of understanding the historical context of cross-border relations in this geographically peripheral border region. To assess the specific position of relative isolation, a robust interdis- ciplinary methodological approach was used, combining the analysis of historical documents, registry books, and population censuses with qualitative methodology like in-depth semistructured interviews with local residents. To assess the specific local interrelations, the patterns of population migration and cross-border marriages (presented in the appendix) were reconstructed and exa-mined. Changes that occurred after the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the establishment of new independent states shed new light on how the local populace reproduced their identity.