Projects / Programmes
Me, the poor: social and culturalanalysis of everdaylife of the poor with emphasis on analysis of pauper letters
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.01.00 |
Humanities |
Historiography |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H270 |
Humanities |
Social and economic history |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.01 |
Humanities |
History and Archaeology |
poverty, everyday life, pauper letters, court proceedings, extent of poverty, practices of survival, Carniola, Venetian Istria, 18th century
Researchers (1)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
27937 |
PhD Dragica Čeč |
Historiography |
Head |
2010 - 2012 |
188 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The proposed research project represents the first integrated analysis of the extent of poverty and the everyday life of poor individuals in the 18th century in the parts of the Slovene territory under Habsburg as well as Venetian rule. Based on said methodological framework is the aim of the project to proven, that comparative analysis of the way of life of individuals fully integrated in society and of the way of life of non-integrated individuals allows for a more complex insight into the everyday life of the poor, their cultural practices, social networks, intergenerational relations, and survival tactics. Poverty was an integrated part of the everyday life of early modern age urban and rural communities on one hand and religious life on the other. In the 18th century the problem of the poor was one of the main topics of public safety as well (associated directly with domicile rights). It was the state policy that defined the meaning of the concepts of work and non-work.
A key role in the understanding of the complexity of social and cultural practices related to the phenomenon of poverty in the 18th century is held by the research of destinies of individuals who, as a rule, had remained overlooked due to the existing research focus on the State attitude towards the poor and the development of poor relief and social state. In the research we will use ego-document (pauper letters, court proceedings, police records) and socio-historical sources (lists of poor relief beneficiaries, census list parish registers).
Marginal perspectives and practices of individuals form a constituent element of social changes and represents important area of analysis. Stemming from the definition of the poor within the framework of inclusion and exclusion, research will focus on the quotidian life of individuals through the prism of the culture of giving and the culture of exclusion (social discipline and criminalization of the poor), and their influence on the definition of one’s possibilities for survival and survival practices. Only from perspective of both attitudes to poverty, specific social and cultural practices and images become clear, which with use only one type of sources could remain obscured. Another important aspect of the analysis of information of this kind is their integration in different contexts and concepts. This is the reason why a different approach, undertaken in the proposed research project, will result in significant methodological innovations in the research of the history of poverty. The demographic and economic history of the examined area will significantly benefit from the part of the research dedicated to the definition of the extent of poverty through a comparison of different types of sources for urban and rural areas, and the analysis of certain structural circumstances that contributed to the increase of the number of the poor. In addition, the research will touch upon the research of methodological questions related to each type of source. Additional research necessary for the contextualization of micro-histories will also be carried out.
The research of personal histories of individuals on the edge of survival in voluntary (petitions) in involuntary personal sources (court proceedings) reveals the social and cultural practices of the poor, elements of individual and collective experience, social solidarity and exclusion, and everyday life.
The analysis and publication of pauper letter supplements the methodological basis of Slovene historiography. The critical use of methodological concepts (micro-histories, ego-documents, and history from below) is used for comparative analysis with other cultural practices and a presentation of the complexity of the everyday life.
Last but not least, it enables the evaluation of means for combating poverty in modern society, acknowledged by the EU in designating the year 2010 as the European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion.
Significance for science
The results of the research work contribute to the knowledge of Slovenian history in Slovenia and internationally. The study intervened in completely new areas of research. Research topics were not only subjected to the latest research-based approach (orientation of the individual, his strategies and tactics to survival), but it was often necessary to explore the general history of the poor-relief institutions.
In Slovenian historiography poor-relief has not yet beenadequately systematically or methodologically treated. Moreover, it has not been addressed through the approaches of social and new cultural history and anthropology. Beside, research results cover the field of the history of mentalities, collective and individual experiences, formation and perception of identities, collective and individual imageries.
In the light of the definition of poverty as a process of inclusion in and exclusion from society, the research of the culture of gift-giving can be highlighted as an innovative approach. The practice of gift-giving is usually studied separately from the problems of poverty and the poor, although it is of key importance for methodological and theoretical positions in the study of poverty through the processes of social inclusion and exclusion. The ego-documents under consideration have so far never been studied and researched from this point of view. A comparative analysis can provide a more precise determination of the impact of mental and value frameworks of respective communities.
The project deals mainly with two important issues the modern society is faced with: the attitude towards overcoming and combating poverty and building the foundations of publicly tackling the social issues that in the late 19th century presented the basis for the development of social policy. The latter is regarded by many historians as one of the most important political achievements of mankind.
Significance for the country
The results of the studies importantly contribute to the understanding of different identities (identity of the Other) of individuals and social groups and their influence on modern society especially in the field of social inclusion/exclusion, combating poverty, questions and role of individual and collective responsibility, social economy and solidarity and voluntarism. They offer specific groundwork for a more effective intercultural dialogue, while at the same time providing historical bases for understanding the attitude towards different, deviatory and marginalized social groups in modern societies and consequently the guidelines for the inclusion of these individuals and social groups.
Given the fact that the existing analyses indicated few problems, the results obtained certainly represent an original contribution to the Slovenian historiography.
The importance of the project results for Slovenia is also in achieving comparability of Slovenian historiography with European and world historiography, particularly by improving the methodological apparatus, consolidation and further development of already pledged fundamental research areas. Special attention was in the second and third year was given the international presentation of research results. The project results were presented at 6 international or European conferences and one workshop, (9th European Social Science History Conference, 13th International Congress for Eighteenth Century Studies, Istrian Historical Biennial, Rivolta e ribellismo tra medioevo ed eta moderna Cinquecento; Udine; Kulturhistorisches Symposium Mögersdorf, 2011) and 4 international conferences held in Slovenia. The lecture held in the graduate colloquium at the University of Saarland, Germany, organized by the Lehrstuhl Frühe Neuzeit und Arbeitsstelle Historical Kulturforschung. Wider professional and public interest was devoted to a lecture organized by the Society for the Study of 18th century and a lecture on poverty at the Museum of Radovljica.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2010,
2011,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2010,
2011,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
