Projects / Programmes
Slovene identity and cultural awareness in linguistic and ethnic contact areas in past and present
January 1, 2022
- December 31, 2027
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.01.00 |
Humanities |
Historiography |
|
| 5.01.00 |
Social sciences |
Educational studies |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.01 |
Humanities |
History and Archaeology |
| 5.03 |
Social Sciences |
Educational sciences |
Slovenes, national identity, cultural consciousness, minorities, national minorities, migrations, immigrants, emigrants, bilingualism, ethnically contact areas, ethnically mixed territories, discrimination, culture contact, coexistence
Data for the last 5 years (citations for the last 10 years) on
April 18, 2024;
A3 for period
2018-2022
| Database |
Linked records |
Citations |
Pure citations |
Average pure citations |
| WoS |
191 |
947 |
858 |
4.49 |
| Scopus |
326 |
1,511 |
1,323 |
4.06 |
Researchers (22)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The study of events in the territory of today's Republic of Slovenia, the Slovene ethnic territory, and members of the Slovene nation abroad is an excellent example of a study of the formation and development of a nation's identity as well as the cultural consciousness of its members. Due to the several dimensions of the topic, an interdisciplinary approach is needed. Our research programme combines geographers, historians, sociologists, psychologists, pedagogues, and linguists. The assembled team will continue and deepen the research set in the previous funding period. At the same time, it will set up and carry out new studies that have so far not received much attention in Slovene (and broader) scholarship. The title topic of our research programme still offers a plenty of opportunities for novelties in the field of humanities and social sciences studies. Most of the research will focus on contacts between Slovenes and other nations of the world in the past and present within the Republic of Slovenia, the Slovene ethnic territory outside the borders of the Republic of Slovenia, and abroad where Slovenes have been living as emigrants since the 19th century. This unique situation of Slovenes living in all three possible forms, i.e., as an autochthonous majority in the Republic of Slovenia, an autochthonous minority in neighbouring countries, and as migrants elsewhere in Europe and on other continents, enables for case studies from which much can be learned about interethnic relationships. In conducting research, it is paramount to consider the comparative aspect when studying identities. The contacts between different ethnicities and nationalities and the development of a Slovenian identity as well as the cultural consciousness will be compared to the those of other European nations. The research of the programme group will be predominantly concentrated on the following topics: formation, development, and preservation of the Slovene national identity and cultural consciousness in the past in the Slovene ethnic territory and among emigrants; the role of education and language in developing and strengthening ethnic/national identity and cultural awareness in the past and present; development of children's social skills and political participation of young people in an ethnic/national minority nation; factors of preservation of autochthonous ethnic/national minorities and integration/coexistence with the majority nation; change in land use and spatial patterns in the Slovene ethnic territory; efforts for peaceful coexistence between Slovenes and other nations. The research results will be published in high-impact scholarly journals, and the members of the group will also incorporate them into the pedagogical process. The findings and results of the programme group will be presented through media (especially radio stations) social networks and especially the website to non-academic audiences.
Significance for science
The study of Slovene identity and cultural consciousness is a crucial aspect of research into Slovenia's past and present. Although a significant number of humanities and social sciences studies have been conducted so far, they have not considered the complexity of the studied topic. In other words, they lack the integration of knowledge flowing from a wide range of different disciplines. To bridge this gap, we invited researchers of six different disciplines to participate in our research programme. The interdisciplinary content orientation of the programme group offers an ideal laboratory for the development of new research by integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches that will enable in-depth analysis of complex research questions in the field of contacts between the Slovenian nation and other nations today and in the past. Among sets of research, we will address three areas in spatial terms: Slovenes living in the Republic of Slovenia, autochthonous Slovenes living abroad, and those living as emigrants around the world and their contacts with the members of other national minorities. We will upgrade existing terminology in our research area by supplementing and expanding previous and launching new research. Our research will consider the transnational study of contact areas (e. g., in the field of historiography border studies and shared history). The particular importance of our programme group is the continuation of studying the past and present position of more vulnerable groups. As in the past, legal and formal measures that could improve their situation depend on the authorities' political will. In this regard, historical and collective memory often plays a decisive role. Regardless of the positive or negative experiences of the majority-minority relationship, when myths and stereotypes have influenced perceptions and decisions, it is essential to realise that Europe is a mosaic of different ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic communities that enrich our society. In brief, diversities do not represent a problem but opportunities, the identification of which, however, offers many research challenges to the research programme team. As part of the implementation of our studies, we will continue networking with foreign researchers dealing with similar topics, which will allow us to expand the scientific network collaborations. Through cooperation, foreign researchers will be up to date with the results of our work, and consequently with the topic of Slovenian identity and cultural consciousness. This approach will support them to compare our findings with studies of other national identities and cultural consciousness. With our research and cooperation with foreign experts, Slovenia's humanities and social sciences will become more comparable to European and international ones.
Significance for the country
Our research has a multifaceted meaning. They will enable the citizens of the Republic of Slovenia to have a better knowledge of the subject. That will be achieved by regularly disseminating findings in the media which primarily deal with minorities. With the lack of knowledge of the subject, we have in mind the development of Slovene identity and cultural consciousness, especially the struggle for its preservation among Slovenian indigenous minorities and emigrants. On the other hand, too little emphasis is placed on the daily awareness of the life and work of national minorities in the Republic of Slovenia. Many people associate, a priori, citizenship with ethnicity, which of course is not a matter of fact. Hence, these differences need to be pointed out and responded to with scientifically unbiased arguments. A good understanding of the specifics of individual ethnic and other cultural communities can contribute to the respect and tolerance of others and, consequently, peaceful coexistence between their members. Good understanding of interethnic relations in the past and present is also crucial for planning and understanding policies responsible for minorities and interethnic issues in general. By this we do not mean only relations between individual countries but also relations within transnational entities, as represented by the European Union. Crises, such as the current one associated with mitigating the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, point to a lack of knowledge about the importance of broader integration. Given the Republic of Slovenia strategic geographical location, among others, top experts in inter-ethnic communities could be recruited to resolve the Balkan situation. In this way, Slovenia can become one of the leaders in the region, which undoubtedly contributes to its promotion in Europe and the world. The attitude of the majority nation towards national minorities within the country is also related to daily politics. Children and adolescents are the foundation for the continued existence and development of the identity of an individual nation. That is of particular importance for those who come from national minorities. Thus, we will be interested in how the school system, social skills and experience of discrimination contribute to either assimilation or preserving one's own national identity. The teacher's competence for the development of the national identity is also crucial. We will provide insight into the actual situation with our project and propose a framework for improving (and rationalising) the school system. In particular, geographical research will contribute to the decision making of appropriate measures to stop depopulation of rural areas, which is a significant problem in the Republic of Slovenia. The focus of the study will also enable us to gain knowledge about the cultural heritage of the territory (which has always been the crossroads of three worlds, Slavic, Germanic, and Romanesque) and its preservation. The latter will have positive effects on tourism development within the Republic of Slovenia and transnational integration of border regions (e.g., the Slovenian Primorje with Furlanija-Julijska landscape or Prekmurje with Porabje or Carinthia on both sides of today's Slovenian-Austrian border). The study of emigration issues will also show positive effects through the potential cooperation with cities where Slovenes live outside the borders of the Republic of Slovenia, with entities in the Republic of Slovenia, in the economics and cultural field. Namely, Slovenes abroad can play an essential role as a mediator. Besides, the research programme will enable the education of staff and the exchange of knowledge between Slovenes living outside the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Slovenia.
