The exploration of ethnic societies in destination countries is an important aspect in study of migrations. Ethnic societies not only shape the activities and identity of migrants, but also aff ect the integration of the immigrants into the receiving societies. The paper discusses the migration of Croats (Yugoslavs) to Switzerland, and the ethnic identity of Croatian migrants in Switzerland in terms of social organizing (through the activities and interactions of various Croatian ethnic societies) in the period when Croatia was part of Yugoslavia. The paper is an attempt to point to a specifi c social context and socio-cultural diff erences of Croatian migrants in relation to diff erent periods and causes of emigration, and thus to diff erent forms and intensity of ethnic organization and impacts of Croatian immigrant societies on the preservation of their ethnic identity as well as on the integration in Swiss society.Pomemben vidik v preučevanju migracij je tudi raziskovanje etničnih društev v državah imigracije. Etnična društva ne le oblikujejo dejavnosti in identiteto migrantov, temveč vplivajo tudi na integracijo migrantov v družbo gostiteljico. Prispevek govori o migracijah Hrvatov (Jugoslovanov) v Švico in etnični identiteti hrvaških migrantov v Švici z vidika družbene organizacije (z aktivnostmi in delovanjem različnih hrvaških etničnih društev) v obdobjih, ko je bila Hrvaška v sklopu SFRJ. Poskušali bomo poudariti specifi čni družbeni kontekst in socio-kulturne razlike pri hrvaških migrantih glede na različna obdobja in vzroke izseljevanja, s tem pa tudi različne oblike in intenziteto etničnega organiziranja ter vplive hrvaških etničnih društev na ohranjanje etnične identitete in integracijo v imigrantsko švicarsko družbo
