Projects / Programmes
ARETACIJE, DEPORTACIJE IN USMRTITVE S STRANI JUGOSLOVANSKIH OBLASTI NA OBMOčJU JULIJSKE KRAJINE PO 1. MAJU 1945 (Slovene)
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.01.00 |
Humanities |
Historiography |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.01 |
Humanities |
History and Archaeology |
Researchers (11)
Organisations (2)
Significance for science
The research project dealing with arrests, deportations, and executions from the part of the Yugoslav authorities in the Julian March (in Primorska and in Istria) after May 1st 1945, or the so called foibas, follows a trend in politological and historical work that focuses on the so called “language of violence”. This is a relatively new field that gained importance during the recent years when all sorts of revisionism are emerging including those that deny the existence of the holocaust. This represents a problem which was recognized already by the British philosopher, economist and politologist John Stuart Mill in his essay On liberty from 1859 when he asked how far can the basic human right of the freedom of expression be stretched. In the case of the so called foibas and their exploitation in Italy during the last fifty years we could argue that this freedom has resulted in an imaginary truth that was recognized as the official truth. Therefore, it is possible that the one who tries to present the truth as it is recorded in primary archive sources, their thorough analysis and comparison with numerous other sources (like the work of the project group) is labeled as a revisionist or a negationist and compared to “historians” who deny the holocaust. This is a case of an unusual intellectual acrobatics that is worth researching and presenting to the international public as a symptom of the time in which the “language of hate” can be enacted without any obstacles as long as it has the support of the media and the political authorities.
Therefore the results obtained during the work on the project are important not only for Slovenian historiography, but also for that of Italy and Croatia, the Upper Adriatic and Central and Eastern Europe, as this was where several acts of violent revenge against the defeated enemy took place at the end of World War II. The methodological approach, based on a comparative analysis of different sources and taking into account the elements of violent seizure of power, as well as winners’ violent methods, can prove to be interesting for future research. Of particular importance for the development of science is the project team’s discovery of the documentation issued by those allied (Anglo-American) authorities that were directly investigating the postwar violence (material of the special department of the Allied Military Government, Welfare and Displaced Persons Office, kept in the U.S. National Archives in Washington, especially Record Group 331). The project team has recorded new sources in archival institutions and libraries in Slovenia and abroad, that are potentialy interesting for further researches of similar topics.
Therefore the team also presented an original interpretation of the dynamics of the developments in the years 1943-1945, including it, on one hand, in the historical context of international struggles between Slovenians (and Croats) and Italians in the territory of Venezia Giulia from the half of 19th Century onwards, and presenting, on the other hand, the subsequent exploitation of the issue of so-called foibas in the postwar Italian history »until today«. Thus the team came to important results (especially the monograph in Italian language), that met with a wide response in publicity. With an accurate analysis of the mythification of the issue the team tried to understand the reasons for it and the significance that it has in the formation of the Italian identity in borderland. In that way she presented to the experts and publicity new interpretations of the events and their consequences that until today were not fully explained yet or even overlooked.
Significance for the country
The significance of the research of the so called foibas (i. e. the study of arrests, deportations, and executions from the part of Yugoslav authorities in the Julian March in Primorska and in Istria after May 1st 1945) to Slovenia lies in the fact that this very country is the object of the “language of hate” mentioned above (see 10.1. Relevance to the development of science). It is obvious that this cannot be reacted to in a way other than by means of serious scientific research that cannot be denied in a rational manner. Of course, this undertaking demands – apart from the thorough engagement in work with archives – the profound knowledge of Italian publicist writing, contemporary history and psychology. Originating from these prepositions, the academician prof. dr. Jože Pirjevec and his colleagues set out a research plan in the scope of this project, which resulted in the monograph on the so called foibas (published in Italian in 2009, in Slovenian in 2013) as well as a series of articles published in daily newspapers (e. g., PIRJEVEC, Jože. S kakšno pravico mi Spadaro bere levite?. Primorski dnev., March 4th 2010, vol. 66, no. 53, p. 21, portrait. [COBISS.SIID 11616845]; PIRJEVEC, Jože. Italijanski in slovenski nacionalizem v Trstu. Primorski dnev., April 8th 2010, vol. 66, no. 83, p. 5, illustr. [COBISS.SIID 11646541]; PIRJEVEC, Jože. Maturitetna naloga o "eksodusu in fojbah". Primorski dnev., July 1st 2010, vol. 66, no. 154, p. 4, portrait. [COBISS.SIID 11679053]) and appearances in other media (e. g., PIRJEVEC, Jože. Resnica o fojbah: dr. Jože Pirjevec : Knjižnica Makse Samsa April 21st 2010. [Ilirska Bistrica]: TV Galeja, 2010. 1 video DVD (cca 93 min), colour, sound. [COBISS.SIID 1325259]). Another fact that is not to be overlooked is that the realisations, achieved during the study of this problem, are included into the didactical and pedagogical work of the project team members at UP FH and their scientific publications and presentations at scientific meetings in Slovenia and abroad that pertain to the history of the relationships between Slovenia and Italy.
The results of the work on the project are important for Slovenia as they present the first indepth analysis of the complex issue of so-called foibe. This issue has been burdening Italian-Slovenian relations for a decade, since all of the neighboring country’s political forces have been exploiting it for accusing Slovenians of being a genocidal nation. Due to this frequent and cyclically recurring leitmotif, Slovenian politics and diplomacy are constantly faced with the dilemma of how to respond, and if at all, in order not to further exacerbate the already heated situation. All Slovenian presidents as well as all governments and their respective foreign ministers have had to face this problem. What is decisive in this respect is the fact that the results of the project provided an exhaustive documentation and therefore firm grounds for political agents to make the necessary decisions based on facts. Furthermore, also the Slovenian media will be able, on the basis of the project results, to react to the often overstrained and polemic writing of Italian media.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
