Projects / Programmes
Ethnological research of cultural knowledge, practices and forms of socialities
January 1, 2022
- December 31, 2027
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.04.00 |
Humanities |
Ethnology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.04 |
Social Sciences |
Sociology |
Ethnology, anthropology, folklore studies, ethnography, heritage, space and place, environment, knowledge, social and cultural practices, identification, transformation, postsocialism, sociality, nationality, diaspora, tourism, folklore, mythology, religion, death, health, hybridity
Data for the last 5 years (citations for the last 10 years) on
April 22, 2024;
A3 for period
2018-2022
| Database |
Linked records |
Citations |
Pure citations |
Average pure citations |
| WoS |
76 |
475 |
450 |
5.92 |
| Scopus |
217 |
1,141 |
1,046 |
4.82 |
Researchers (24)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
The proposed research programme Ethnological Research of Cultural Knowledge, Practices and Forms of Socialities is a continuation of the research programme Slovenian Identities in the European and Global Context. It will enable continuation of the basic research, while also following the modern paradigmatic shifts in its theoretical approaches, understanding of social and cultural processes and in the development of new methodologies. It' main goal is to determine the central strategic orientations of the discipline in the coming period. To this end, it is composed of research that ensures continuity with the programme's past research activities (construction of identities and communities, postsocialist processes and the social roles of the cultural heritage) but will also expand them with new conceptual tools and approaches (cultural knowledge, practices, forms of socialities and central issues of the 21st century). The main research question of the programme relates to the observation, analysis and understanding of sociocultural processes and transformations of cultural knowledge and practices (habits, lifestyles in individual social environments, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, mythological and ontological characteristics of cultural representations, religious and ritual practices) and past and present forms of socialities (various social forms, ranging from classical identity models of nation, ethnicity and nationality, diaspora and minorities, to situational and dynamically changing social and communal forms that emerge, appear and disappear through everyday relationships, and are reflected in the actualization of solidarity, mutuality, dynamic identification processes, etc.). These two lines of research are based on modern conceptualizations of culture (knowledge and practices) and society (forms of socialities). In order to ensure the continuity of the programme research as well as the development of ethnology, anthropology and folklore studies the programme will also address central issues of the 21st century, relatinig to social development and political-economic challenges whose solutions will influence the future (in particular health, environmental issues, migrations and mobility, and new technologies).
Significance for science
The research programme Ethnological Research of Cultural Knowledge, Practices and Forms of Socialities will maintain the range of basic ethnological, anthropological and folklore research developed by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Ljubljana in cooperation with the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum within the framework of the recent research programme Slovenian Identities in the European and Global Context (2004-). As the main ethnological research and pedagogical institution in Slovenia we continue and develop research topics and approaches on over eighty years of the scientific study of ethnology or ethnology and cultural anthropology at the University of Ljubljana. The research programme will allow continued academic research to build on the established approaches and deepen knowledge in ethology and cultural anthropology. In the proposed prolongation the research programme will contribute to the development of knowledge of contemporary social, cultural and technological phenomena and processes in Slovenia, Europe and globally. The researchers will present their findings in scientific and professional journals, and include them in ethnology and cultural anthropology study programmes at all levels. In their research and pedagogical work, the members of the programme group maintain a high level of international visibility and comparability: they are established experts in narrow disciplinary fields, regularly publish academic papers in highly respected Slovenian and foreign journals and with internationally renowned publishers, and also sit on the managing boards of scientific associations and the editorial boards of established journals and publishers, regularly attend and participate in Slovenian and international academic conferences, host academic conferences, present guest lectures at universities in Europe and around the world, and are included in numerous international research and applied research projects. With our pedagogical unit and community, we participate with the development of the pan-European network Eutopia. We were also the founding member of the European Joint Master's degree programme in social and cultural anthropology in Europe, titled CREOLE: Cultural Differences and Transnational Processes (with partner universities in Bern, Barcelona, Lyon, Maynooth, Poznan and Vienna). The special feature of the proposed research program is the integration of ethnological, folkloristic and anthropological approaches. The expected research results will crucially shape the development of ethnology, folklore and anthropology in Slovenia and the world. By focusing on the challenges of modern times and addressing social, public health, migration, economic and political issues, and especially environmental, technological and climate issues, the programme will crucially impact the comprehensive development of humanities and social sciences in Slovenia. It will also be extremely important to further develop methodological approaches, both with digital, hybrid and experientially based ethnographic methods and with their testing in research and social practice. In addition to current and classical research topics related to cultural heritage, dynamics of formation of national, ethnic and other communities, survival and livelihood practices and strategies, celebrations, mythologies, local and cultural knowledge and practices, and of course the identification processes in Slovenia and abroad, sociocultural changes in the postsocialist context and global modernity, we will pay special attention to new experiences and practices on the border between digital technology, nature and new communities, online and offline, urban and rural transformation, unpredictable social movements and challenges of central sociocultural phenomena in the past and present.
Significance for the country
Potential impact on economic and sociocultural development Basic ethnological, anthropological and folkloristic research in Slovenia and abroad contribute to a deeper understanding of key social practices in the relationship between human and his/her natural and cultural environment. First and foremost, we highlight the understanding of cultural heritage and its potential for economic development in tourism, hospitality, cuisine, creative industries and the circular economy. Of particular importance is the mediation between development factors (investors) and the local environment. Ethnological knowledge has immense economic potential in co-creating local communities and practices (e.g. in the local economy, in protecting cultural heritage units, in using and reinventing tradition, cuisine, designing and maintaining self-sufficient activities, establishing sustainable tourism, attitude towards the environment, etc.). Ethnological knowledge and, above all, integrative approaches that involve people, both from above and below, are crucial for the balanced social, economic and cultural development of the country and local environments. Knowledge and understanding of local traditions can be used in national, administrative and local policies (e.g. in the fields of health, migration, environment, tourism, cultural heritage, etc.) has an enormous potential. Knowledge and preservation of mythologies, local and cultural knowledge and practices are also important for the wider social community. Members of the program group are involved in various national and local institutions in the fields of cultural heritage, migration, arts and culture, health, urbanism, tourism, care and volunteering, as well as in non-governmental sector, cultural institutions, cultural heritage, museum and conservation. They are also included in the activities of popular cultural, urban, musical or youth scenes. In the times of enhanced Slovenian integration into the European and global context, in times of the socio-cultural transformations (postsocialism) and various recent crises (e.g. pandemics and economic and migration crises), the research program contributes basic knowledge and understanding of people and society, which is important for sociocultural development in Slovenia. First and foremost, it contributes to an understanding of the history of Slovenian way of life in the past and present, and about imagining a common future. The program will make an important contribution to knowledge that will contribute to the preservation of nature and cultural heritage; towards sustainable development. We will pay special attention to the ethical use of specific knowledge about heritage and tradition, and at the same time we will be open to the international environment and contribute to the recognition of Slovenia abroad. The whole set of heritage research is intertwined with the applicability of knowledge in practice, both in the development of local communities and at the level of the entire country. Most of the acquired knowledge from this set will be directly or indirectly transferred to museum and conservation practice. In cooperation with professional, voluntary, civil society and local communities, we will also contribute to obtaining funding from European development programs. Through ethnographic research of everyday life in Slovenia and abroad, we will contribute new knowledge on central sociocultural processes and phenomena, and especially emphasize the importance of local knowledge and inherited practices. Bottom-up knowledge will be crucial in environmental and economic policies. The program will produce new knowledge and insights that can be used in various government departments. Above all it will be focused on sustainable development, which takes into account people and their well-being through the balanced development of the economic, social and environmental subsystems of Slovenian society.
