Projects / Programmes
PROBLEMS OF THE HISTORY OF SLOVENIAN-ITALIAN RELATIONS
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.01.00 |
Humanities |
Historiography |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H271 |
Humanities |
Political history |
Slovene-Italian relations, national historiographies, Italy, Slovenia, collective memory, »shared history«, myths and stereotypes, ethnic and demographic changes, ideologies
Researchers (9)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The project aims is to research the key turning points in Slovenian-Italian relations in the 20th century. A historical reconstruction of events had already been undertaken, however, the interpretations thereof vary in individual national historiographies. The research will focus on the attitude of historiographies towards the four most relevant turning points, namely:
- the first postwar period and the attitude of the Fascist politics towards the Slovenians;
- World War II and the role of Italy in the attack on Slovenia (Yugoslavia);
- arrests, deportations and extrajudicial executions (the so-called “foibe” issue) following the surrender of Italy; and
- Slovenian emigration following World War I in comparison to Italian emigration following World War II (“exodus”) and changes in population structure.
The research work will be based on the study of the key differences that exist today in the interpretations of shared history even at the level of completely undisputed historical facts. To this end, the research will apply contemporary historical scientific methods to the views of studying certain aspects, in particular, which have been poorly researched to date. Special focus will be given to ethnic and demographic changes as political instruments in Slovenian-Italian relations, escalations of violence manifest throughout the studied period (from Fascist actions following World War I to extrajudicial executions following World War II), historical interpretations which equate national and ideological affiliation, formation of the “divided collective” memory in the border region, and identification and study of the most frequent negative historical myths and stereotypes in Slovenian-Italian relations (the study of the use of national stereotypes in educational practices constitutes an important part of this aspect). Research results will be presented in online publications and at least three scientific monographs which will present the described issues in an original and comparative manner.
Significance for science
Despite European integration, Slovenian and Italian national historiographies are still trapped in the mythologization of the past and interpretations of history through the prism of “one national truth”, which is particularly typical of their consideration of the history of the Northern Adriatic Region, an area of intercultural and interethnic contacts. As their discourse is based on the exclusion of the “other”, it prevents communication in intercultural cross-border cooperation and intergovernmental relations at the historical, political and general social levels. In the light of scientific and other forms of cooperation, therefore, it is necessary to analyze and document controversial historical topics and expand interpretations that carry stereotypes.
In the central part of our research, we focused on the attitude of both national historiographies towards the four selected turning points of greatest relevance, namely:
- first post-war period and fascist policy towards Slovenes;
- period of World War II and Italy’s role in the attack on Slovenia (Yugoslavia);
- arrests, deportations and extrajudicial executions (the so-called “foibe issue”) after the capitulation of Italy;
- Slovenian emigration from Venezia-Giulia after World War I in comparison to Italian emigration from Istria after World War II (“exodus”) and changes in population structure.
Project results are relevant because they allow for the establishment of a new paradigm in the approach to research on the so-called border studies.
Results that are relevant to the development of the scientific field are most evident in two key segments of project realization:
1. The project introduces into the Slovenian environment a new methodology and analytical practices that are embedded in current research trends in European and world historiography. The project team’s research approach follows trends in contemporary historiography, namely, by applying the methodological concept of “shared history” (“histoire croisée”), and particularly its trend of comparative studies that aim at surpassing the exclusivist national interpretation of history. By applying this approach, project collaborators analyzed the existing interpretations of selected key turning points in the history of Slovenian-Italian relations in Western Slovenia.
2. The project team recorded new primary sources in foreign archives (e.g. in London, Washington, Vatican, Prague, etc.) and reviewed the already documented sources from Slovenian and Italian archives that appear frequently and selectively in Slovenian and Italian historiographical studies. The long-term impact of the project team’s research will be presented in collections of archival sources, oral accounts and other sources which will be of use to numerous further studies.
The project exceeded expectations in these two points, in particular.
3. Project results which are relevant to the development of the discipline of history in a broader sense, indicate an obvious divide in the interpretations of historical events which is due to the fact that both the Slovenian-Italian border and the discipline of history are conditional upon the context of the national “we-discourse”, although in principle the rules of the discipline are being observed. The balancing of these two extremes will significantly contribute to the development of a civic and European historical consciousness in the region where two national identities in contact are active. To this end, we will organized as a final result of the project a special Slovenian-Italian conference on border historiography which is to be held in 2011 (firstly planned for 2010 but postponed on the wish of Italian colleagues). During the conference, over 50 most prominent historians will present the perspectives of epistemological and methodological approaches to the historiographical practice in the multiethnic borderland.
Significance for the country
The essential research sets of this research project touch on the view of the relationship between national and European historical paradigms. Within this context, we analyze the specific traits of Slovenian national development and formation of identities in the western border region of the Republic of Slovenia, and, in particular, focus on the awareness of Slovenian national identity in the context of selected thematic sets (consequences of World War I; post-war national conflicts; fascist policy towards Slovenes; period of World War II; issue of arrests, deportations and extrajudicial executions – the so-called “foibe”; emigration and changes in population’s ethnic structure) and shared European history.
In the social context, studies of this kind constitute an important step towards the processes of integration within the European Union. For example, one cannot consider the issue of regional integration, until historical “traumas” have been surpassed and preconditions for communication at the widest social level possible created. Project results are relevant because they establish an analytic paradigm in the discipline and raise society’s awareness of the complexity of the historical region where different identities in contact meet.
The Joint Slovenian-Italian Cultural-Historical Commission, which a few years ago issued an important report on the relations between the two nations in the period 1880-1956, touched on, among other things, the above thematic sets. The Commission made an important progress in establishing a common view of the shared history in Italian and Slovenian historiography. However, due to the times and circumstances, the Commission’s report was rather careful and summary and thus failed to provide a comprehensive presentation of the complex issues at both methodological and substantive levels.
By applying the methodological approach of the so-called shared history and through critical analysis of the interpretations of the history of the Slovenian-Italian border region, the project aimed at surpassing the biased interpretations of national historiographies represented both in the media and (particularly primary and secondary) education in Slovenia and Italy.
Having produced and successfully submitted two Interreg projects in cooperation with the Universities of Trieste and Udine, project collaborators further developed the existing scientific cooperation with foreign researchers.
In the practical sense, project results are relevant to the development of Slovenia because they provide much new information from the documents kept in foreign archives. Among other things, these documents allow for an insight into the history of the complex relations under consideration and into the views of the historical process of Slovenian-Italian relations held by foreign protagonists who had interests in the territory of former Venezia Giulia.
Namely, it is important for the development of the Republic of Slovenia that Slovenian historiography also be represented at a level that is methodologically and substantively comparable to European trends in historiography, but also in humanities and social sciences in general.
The project’s impact extends to the broader social and political level, considering that project results support the orientations of Slovenian foreign policy (the project is in obvious harmony with the guidelines declared by Slovenian President Danilo Türk and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano at the meeting held on 17 January 2011).
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2008,
2009,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2008,
2009,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
