Projects / Programmes
Comparative literary and literary theoretical studies
January 1, 2022
- December 31, 2027
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.07.00 |
Humanities |
Literary sciences |
|
| 6.06.00 |
Humanities |
Culturology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.02 |
Humanities |
Languages and Literature |
| 6.04 |
Humanities |
Arts (arts, history of arts, performing arts, music) |
comparative literature, literary theory, intercultural literary studies, translation studies, literary didactics, literary methodology, (comparative) history of Slovene literature, history of European literature, literature and society, literariness, literature and ethics, digitalisation
Data for the last 5 years (citations for the last 10 years) on
April 24, 2024;
A3 for period
2018-2022
| Database |
Linked records |
Citations |
Pure citations |
Average pure citations |
| WoS |
151 |
156 |
130 |
0.86 |
| Scopus |
215 |
341 |
278 |
1.29 |
Researchers (22)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
It is the guiding principle of the group that literature is not just a cultural practice but rather an artistic and discursive field with specific qualities that contribute to literature exerting both aesthetic and social influence. This effect is far ranging, spanning from a role in the constitution of nationhood to therapeutic function; literary works are a vital document in historiography, sociology, philosophy, religious studies, cultural studies, gender studies, and postcolonial studies; due to its specifics, literature is an intercultural mediator par excellence and the bearer of epistemological and ethical function. This is the reason behind the specific strands of research and their interplay. Studies in the field of literary theory focus on the analysis of the specifics of literature in general and particularly those aspects that trigger and shape the above mentioned effects. These are not limited to Slovene literature but also include world literature and European literature in particular. Among other reasons, this is due to the conviction that a work of literature is never an isolated product, but that it is always embedded in an intertextual and intercultural framework and interconnected with extra-literary, extra-artistic, and extra-cultural fields. Thus emphasis is given to the comparative aspect, both in literary theory and literary history, and also in the fields of cultural mediation and trans-disciplinary research. This is why literary history and translation studies are part of the key research strands. The programme looks at the characteristic social effects of literature in general and especially Slovene literature and its social role. Significant part of the research is thus oriented at the study of older and contemporary Slovene literature (produced in Slovenia or in exile), its characteristics, developmental features, and attending social role. Special emphasis has been placed on methodological issues, which play a significant, self-reflexive role in literary studies. The group is constantly re-examining its methodological apparatus and looking for adequate means of pursuing its aims. The most pertinent basis for the realisation of tasks has been methodological pluralism in the sense of the use of complementary methods relevant to the treatment of specific issues. Particular attention is paid to the ethical literary criticism due to its important social role. The programme group has dedicated its efforts to the dissemination and application of findings. This has been done particularly (though not exclusively) through research in literary didactics and the digitalisation of the fields of literature and literary studies. The programme group research thus covers a wide array of areas within the field of literary studies: literary theory, comparative literature, comparative and national literary history, literary methodology, literary didactics, translation studies (literary interculturality), and digitalisation.
Significance for science
The work of the research programme group is of critical importance for literary studies and therefore significant for the development of all fields of literary science. The fields covered by the research programme in particular are the following: literary theory; (comparative) history of (world/national) literature; literary methodology; translation studies (intercultural transfer); the link between literature and other artistic and cultural practices; literature didactics, and digitization in the field of literary studies. The studies on literariness will, on the one hand, further specify some of the aspects of this term, which is vital to the literary studies, and, on the other hand, aim to develop a completely new research paradigm for literary studies. The theoretical research on Russian realism will contribute to the understanding of the nature and function of literature. The research on short-prose hybrid genres and hybrid biographies will generate new knowledge in this rapidly developing field. The research on the Slovene literary history will serve to generate the missing knowledge. Two scientific monographs will be published, dealing with Ivan Cankar and Josip Jurčič, respectively, bringing new insight and findings about both classic authors. A scientific monograph on Luiza Pesjakova and a critical publication of her private journals in German, bringing a fundamental material for further research, will be published. An investigation into literary censorship in the Drama Society (Dramatično društvo) will significantly enrich the existing body of knowledge on censorship in the Slovene literary field. The results in the field of comparative literary history will be scientifically relevant both in Slovenia as well as abroad. In the following research period, the Italian and Russian literary traditions will be at the forefront of our attention, with several other getting attention as well, e.g. Antiquity and the German, French, US, and European indigenous literatures. For Slovenia, the research on the influence of Japanese haiku on the US and Slovene poetic lyrical traditions will be especially significant. Methodological research is promptly integrated into the newest global trends in this field. In the previous period, the methodological research of the programme group was focused mostly on neuroscientific and evolutionary methods. In the coming timeframe, additional attention will be paid to ethical and hermeneutic approaches that are again gaining scientific traction. Translation studies are already included in international scientific projects and programmes. Their achievements will enrich the scientific treatment of issues dealing with interculturality and the shaping of cultural identity, in Slovenia as well as abroad. The central scientific contribution in this field will be the publication of the History of Slovene Literary Translation, which will be published as a monograph and will boast full online multimedia support. The research on the link between literature and other art forms and cultural practices will be mainly two-pronged. The object of interest will, on the one hand, be the actual links between literature and the visual arts, serving as a basis for a general theory of artistic creation. Meanwhile, a segment of research will be devoted to the role of fashion in the construction of cultural identity (on the example of the Soviet Union). The digitization and development of online tools are a significant contribution to the research infrastructure in literary studies and provide all researchers access to crucial resources.
Significance for the country
The overall results of the programme group will be vital in the conservation of linguistic, national, and cultural identity and heritage. International publications (realised in all research fields of the group) will promote Slovene culture and science internationally and will raise awareness of the similarities in the cultural identities of smaller European countries. This will be further achieved by establishing cultural and research connections with cultural institutions in countries that were literary centres historically significant for the development of Slovene literature. The research results will be integrated into the teaching of students on all levels of university study, while some of the results will play a significant role on lower levels (in high school), e.g. studies in the field of literary didactics and also in the field of Slovene literary history. Interpretations of contemporary novels dealing with acute social problems will aid in the teaching of civic education and ethics. The project History of Slovene literary translation will disclose the dynamics of society guided by ideological principles and so contribute to citizens' better understanding of social processes, stimulating their critical attitude. The placement of literary facts into space (authors' birth places, novel locations, grave markers, information and memorial plaques, the tracing and marking of literary trails), as planned in some of the studies, will animate local communities, enhance their sense of identity, and at the same time guide them towards cultural tourism. Among the social effects, the significance for national school strategy should be noted and also the inclusion of results into the pedagogical processes in Slovenia and abroad, collaboration in the development of individual courses and undergraduate and graduate study programmes, and the realisation of seminars for continuing professional education of teachers and professors. The group is therefore following the guidelines of development policy emphasising the importance of human resources and communication, the development of social cohesion, and the inclusion of Slovene language, literature, and culture into European and world exchanges.
