Croatian Anthropological Society (CAS) and the journal Collegium Antropologicum were founded in 1977, with the goal of institutionalizing and developing the new scientific discipline in the Republic of Croatia.

 

Numerous activities that opened door to the institutionalized anthropological work in Croatia preceded the founding of CAS. Public promotion of anthropology as science that is distinguished by its differentia specifica from other social sciences and humanistic sciences (such as ethnology, sociology, linguistics, archeology, philosophy, psychology, demography etc), and natural sciences as well (such as biology and medicine) started in the 1970s. Having in mind the fact that at the time in Croatia the idea of anthropology as a social and humanistic science was not accepted, it was decided that anthropology in Croatia should be developed in the framework of natural and medicine sciences (based on the classical European tradition of division to the physical or biological, i.e. biomedicine, and social or cultural anthropology. However, the pioneers of anthropology in Croatia were aware from the beginning of the broadness of anthropological science, and were even then emphasizing that anthropology is a unique scientific discipline that studies both biological and cultural diversity of humans by holistic approach.

 

Since the early 1970s, European anthropologists (G. Olivier and J. Hiernaux from France, D. F. Roberts from Great Briatain, J. Huizinga and A. Eriksson from Netherlands, N. Wolanski from Poland, R. Knussman from Germany, B. Chiarelli from Italy, H. Maver and P. Rudan from Croatia etc.) started the initiative for founding the European Anthropological Association that would connect universities and anthropological institutions and scientific-educational activities of anthropologists all over Europe. Activities directed to achieving this goal lasted for 5 years.

The year 1974 was particularly important for the development of anthropology in Croatia, because, the Section for biological anthropology was founded within the Croatian Physicians Assembly). In the same year the first international scientific-working Conference School of Biological Anthropology was organized. This conference has been held annually since then and almost every lecture from that conference was published. H. Maver was acting as the president of the Section, P. Rudan as secretary general, and the other scientists of the present-day Institute for Anthropological Research as members of the Organizing Committee. Despite its official title, the School covered various fields of anthropology. In this way, contemporary anthropological research became available to the all interested graduate and postgraduate students as well as to the experts from various scientific disciplines.

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The first book of Anthropological series of books – Practicum of biological anthropology - was published in 1975. Since then 13 books showing contemporary methods of anthropological research have been published. The series was later expanded to editions dedicated to different topics in anthropology.

International scientific association European Anthropological Association was founded on October 6^th 1976 in Zagreb. G. Olivier (France) was elected President, H. Maver (Croatia), D. F. Roberts (Great Britain) and J. Huizinga (Netherlands) Vice-Presidents. Numerous scientists from Croatia, including scientists of the present-day Institute for Anthropological Research (P. Rudan, B. Janićijević, N. Smolej, A. Sujoldžić) were among the founding members of the Association.

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First Congress of the European Anthropological Association – 1^st CEAA was held in Zagreb (1-3 September 1977). The congress was organized by the Croatian organization committee in which H. Maver acted as president, P. Rudan as secretary general, A. Sujoldžić, Z. Grgić and LJ. Schmutzer as secretaries and B. Macarol (Janićijević) as treasurer. On the occasion of the First Congress of the European Anthropological Association the First issue of scientific journal Collegium Antropologicum was published. Journal is quoted in Current Contents, Social Science Citation Index and numerous others bases. In the past few years, over 3000 scientific and professional papers have been published in Collegium Antropologicum.

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At the same time, based on the proposal of the founding committee (consisting of A. S. Lazarević, J. Kallay, H. Maver, M. Mimica, G. Pilarić, Ž. Prebeg, P. Rudan, B. Štampar-Plasaj, Lj. Zergollern-Čupak and S. Urban) the first inaugural session of the Croatian Anthropological Society was held in Zagreb. The CAS was founded on 28 December 1977. H. Maver was the first President, A.S. Lazarević, A Hošek– Momirović and M. Malez Vice-Presidents, P. Rudan Secretary General, A. Sujoldžić, Z. Grgić and LJ. Schmutzes Secretaries and B. Macarol (Janićijević) Treasurer. The Board of Trustees consisted of M. Kovačević, M. Mimica and B. Štampar-Plasaj, while the Chancery consisted of J. Kallay, R. Medved and S. Urban. In the past three decades Society has been contributing to the promotion and development of the anthropological science in Croatia.