Projects / Programmes
Heroes and Celebrities in Slovenia and Central Europe
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.04.00 |
Humanities |
Ethnology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H000 |
Humanities |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.04 |
Social Sciences |
Sociology |
heritage, heroes, celebrities, identity, collective memory, nation, the past, tradition
Researchers (15)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
The proposed research project thematises the role of exceptional individuals in history, or in different times and places, devoting its attention to Slovenia as part of Central European cultural space. It will answer the questions who, why and when (could) become a hero and what are the characteristics of a heroic personality, and why humans need heroes. Beside, the project will shed light upon the dimensions of remembering and forgetting, suppressing and obliterating heroes.
The project will not only deal with heroes who importantly helped in creating local and national history, but also famous individuals who are “empty in their content”, because they are “famous for being famous”. Due to the “emptiness in their content” these “bubble celebrities” persons have an important role in creating public and media spaces. Using the analysis of the activities practised by these famous persons we will be identifying the role of those individuals in the contemporary world. Did they completely replace the heroes from the past, mythological creatures and gods who were once the centre of social attention? Are these individuals produced by capitalism and consumerism, which instead of “real” and “unspoiled” heroic actions provides the crowds with fictitious, directed pseudo-events? And nevertheless, is there any room for heroes in the modern world or have these artificially created famous persons completely replaced them?
The first workpackage set will deal with an analysis of the common traits of heroes and celebrities from the diachronic as well as synchronic perspective. Here ethnological as well as anthropological, sociological, linguistic, literary, etc. aspects will be taken into account.
The second workpackage will deal with the historical viewpoints of individuals who transformed their time significantly and contributed to the formation of the nation. Such heroes played a very important role in the process of “inventing traditions”; they represented the best or the most desired characteristics and the most prominent achievements of the nation and helped people to develop their relation towards the past. The project will underline such important individuals, who were stressed during the period of “awakening” the nation, it will examine the methods and strategies of their “use” and their acceptance in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The third workpackage will be focused on imaginary heroes, above all literary and folklore figures, which have an important place among the Slovenians just like actual persons. The image of Črtomir shall be discussed in detail; within the field of folklore we shall observe the questions of heroism and bravery in the cases of different folklore heroes (e.g. King Matjaž, Peter Klepec, Fair Vida) and literary heroes, who are in the process of folklorisation (e.g. Martin Krpan); in the field of ritual the role of St. Nicholas shall be presented, and compared to the role of Santa Claus and Father Frost.
The fourth workpackage will deal with the creation of celebrities with the help of the media and new technologies and analyse the strategies for the creation of the celebrity status in people from the world of entertainment, politicians and athletes. Here, our initial hypothesis will be, that to be a celebrity–whether in the field of entertainment, politics or sports–is to stand out of mediocrity, and at the same time stay a part of the network, which defines such an individual, supports and feeds him/her with attention and maintains his/her special status.
The project research will deal with historical as well as modern aspects of heroes and celebrities, study the social and cultural role of actual and imaginary individuals who had or have an important role in Slovenia as a part of the Central European cultural area.
Significance for science
For the development of science, the design of the research project on heroes and celebrities is important: it outlined and explained four viewpoints or aspects from which we identified and investigated heroes and celebrities in Slovenia and elsewhere in central Europe. The members of the research project also contributed to the development of science through their work addressing the context of these perspectives: each of them raises different issues. Through reflection and self-realization, the researchers further differentiated these views to obtain a clearer image of the issues addressed. The first perspective addressed issues of language, discourse, psychological structures, and canonization processes. The question of language showed the complexity of the design and articulation of conceptual metaphors. The impact of speech and its effect on various discourses—for example, the media—is also subcultural. Another approach in this context revealed the ambivalent structure of the hero, his fundamental revelation of the narcissistic self, and his sacrifice for the community. The third approach relates to hagiographic techniques that largely depend on media empathy, through which the leaders of the nation and other important celebrities can be "canonized." From the second perspective, the heads of the nation as heroes could be an object of dispute or an element that encourages and creates loyalty and the opportunity for identification. The creation and destruction of monuments, naming streets and squares, and deleting names (e.g., after Field Marshal Radetzky, King Alexander, and Pope John Paul II) shows the dynamic perception and reception of prominent individuals, which is largely driven by the media and the official dominant discourses. To a large extent, these also depend on the general level of tolerance for diversity and the attitude toward the community’s own past. Folklore and other imaginary characters in Slovenia and elsewhere are a very important part in the primary socialization process, in which they are a significant element of the repertoire and children’s experience and perception of the world. They make it possible to identify positive figures and examples, and to distinguish between good and bad. Historical research broadens the contexts of their “representation” in different genres and also sheds light on the process itself and the traditions of their presence in its modern guise (i.e., the politics of heritage). A special contribution to the development of science, conceptualization and realization, is seen in the fourth perspective, which addresses the view of celebrities. In this context, two aspects in particular are very important, but very little studied. The first is dedicated to instant celebrities (or “bubble celebrities”) that quickly arise and disappear, especially in the context of the new media and social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc.). The second is devoted to other celebrities—for example, economists that create public opinion and influence specific policies—but at the same time as celebrities remain largely outside the range of criticism and responsibility. The studies conducted within these four perspectives of the project are essential because they opened views on the habitus and position of heroes and celebrities, and they also offer answers to some questions regarding the perception and dynamics of their reception.
Significance for the country
Heroes and celebrities are a relatively unfamiliar topic in Slovenia. So far, the main interest in research has been dedicated to “cultural saints”—that is, to canonized literary figures (e.g., the poet France Prešeren). However, there has been a lack of focus on other types of heroes at various levels; these heroes allow and offer various possibilities of identification, not only in literature, but also in other fields, from politics to popular culture. The project research team expanded and enriched the repertoire addressing their careers and lives. It also underlined the changing phenomenon of heroism and fame from a historical, social, and symbolic perspective, and the persistence of certain traditional value schemes and modern instantaneity, which are more related to strategies and general self-realization in pop-culture practices. The project focused on three basic possibilities, or fields of identification. The first field included heroes and personalities that, in different ways, marked Slovenian space in the past; for example, Marshal Radetzky, whose image strengthened the feeling of belonging to the Austrian Empire, or other fathers of the Slovenian nation, such as King Alexander or the missionary brothers Cyril and Methodius. The ambivalent and often exclusivist attitude to the past in Slovenia is testified to by monuments, names of streets and institutions, and the selection of material in school curricula, in which one cannot find many important personalities from the past. This is why many people are unfamiliar with them. As a rule, with each change of government system the public instantiation of former heroes and celebrities has experienced destruction or deletion, and this has contributed to this attitude. The second field encompasses folklore and imaginary heroes. These are extremely important in the development and creation of children’s imagination as a kind of signal because they suggest an ideal type of positive or negative orientation. At the same time, part of the research found that school and the school curriculum lack the kinds of images presented in Slovenian mythical stories and the examples they supported. Folklore texts (e.g., about Peter Klepec, Pegam and Lambergar, and King Matthias) or folklorized texts (e.g., about Martin Krpan) are not sufficiently used for identification, to enable young people to develop an image of themselves as linked to the local, regional, or national past. This has depleted their potential to shape local identifications and the nation. From this perspective, it is possible to derive lessons from the project that constitute substantial warnings and suggestions regarding the substance of the educational process, as well as different ways of representing heritage from the local to national level. The third field includes celebrities, generally classified into two categories: some individuals have become important through censorship of the community, whereas others have “made themselves” through the use of social networks; for example, Facebook, Twitter, and so on. Exploring their presentation and reception is important in several respects, in terms of both identity strategies and media discourses. The first is formed by providing other examples of the good or ideal type. Understanding the production of “fame” is also important from the standpoint of transmitting a positive, affirmative life for self-realization. We also determined how a similar strategy of creation and “inflating” one’s own glory was used in various fields, from music and art to science, economics, and even politics. The lessons we learned are important not only for ethnology, but also for other areas of the humanities and social sciences as well as for researchers and developers of engineering networks because this will provide a better understanding of the role of new means of communication through information technologies in establishing historical individuals in the community’s consciousness.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2013,
2014,
2015,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2013,
2014,
2015,
final report
