Projects / Programmes
Research on Slovenian Folk Culture in Folklore Studies and Ethnology
January 1, 2014
- December 31, 2018
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.04.00 |
Humanities |
Ethnology |
|
| 6.07.00 |
Humanities |
Literary sciences |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H400 |
Humanities |
Folklore |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.04 |
Social Sciences |
Sociology |
| 6.02 |
Humanities |
Languages and Literature |
Researchers (11)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The programme is a varied body of research organised in four sections, each addressing its own subject of research, which both intertwine and, to some extent, represent a continuation of the research conducted in the previous programme, as well as add new contents: A1 Comparative research into folklore phenomena and genre typologies and genealogies in the folk and the modern, and new aspects of zoo-folkloristics, ecocriticism, and critical animal studies in folklore, literature and culture; A2 Research into imaginings of the folk through song, music, dance (contexts, agents, construction and deconstruction of the folk through time and space); B1 Restoration, interpretation, and use of the Slovenian folk audio material for folkloristic and ethnomusicological research; B2 Computer-assisted/digital folkloristics and ethnomusicology: Semantic structures of Slovenian folk songs and music. These form a scientific starting point for the folkloristic and ethnological research into Slovenian folk spiritual culture to deal with the questions of creative and functional communication of the heritage pertaining to folk songs, music and dance, its texture, text, context and its agents, touching in an interdisciplinary manner through specific aspects upon social elements of the spiritual culture, as well as identifying the differences and similarities in structure, function and poetics, the day-to-day and historical contexts, and considering the changing of tradition as a result of a new social background, new cultural dynamics, and transformations of cultural practices. The folkloristic finding (hypothesis) about components of the folk spiritual culture being one of the most evident indicators of ethnic features is combined with ethnological aspects, used in order to explore how these components are affected by agents and the social context in which they materialize. At the centre of the research is a systematic and methodical analysis of the broadest possible scope of folk spiritual culture based on field research, recording and critical treatment of sources and material, systematisation, cataloguing and digitalisation of the fieldwork and archive material, with the aim of protecting and enhancing the importance of folk spiritual culture and its creative transformation. Also included is the integration of a diachronic exploration of folk song, music and dance tradition, and a synchronic exploration, one enabling an insight into innovation and contemporary phenomena that are turning into tradition, particularly their imaginings, migrations, and perceptions. Plans for further research include connections with research in other fields such as computer and cognitive science, development of targeted research in digital folkloristics (the use of ICT in the digital multimedia archive EtnoMuza, development of Music Information Retrieval methods); development and enhancement of research that combine ecology and folklore, culture, literature and music, and development of zoo-folkloristics – a new scientific subdiscipline – by using new aspects of critical animal studies; development and enhancement of research into imaginings and migrations of the folk; use of new technological methods to continue the digitalisation of audio music recordings of folk spiritual culture, to be incorporated in the future in virtual cultural spaces.
Significance for science
Findings of various type of research will be applied to other research fields within ethnomusicological, sociological, ethnological, folkloristic or anthropological and other sciences. The audio and video materials collected will enable other research disciplines and aspects to explore the phenomenon. The exploration of various folk cultural phenomena with regard to international research and similar traditional practices will make an important contribution to positioning the segments of Slovenian folk heritage in the European and wider cultural sphere. These will open up new dimensions in the research of dance and dancing as part of Slovenian identity, develop new redefinitions of folk culture, introduce new research aspects, such as ethical and ecological aspects, new imaginings of the folk through songs, music, dance (contexts, agents, constructions and de-constructions of the folk through space and time), contribute to the understanding of the global phenomenon on the importance of technical-acoustic factors in field recordings and digital folkloristics as such, also in relation to cognitive science. The research proposed introduces innovative scientific and research methodology that is based on close mutual dependence of folklorist and ethnomusicological research as well as research from fields of modern information-communication technologies. The research proposed is therefore specific and innovative: specific in researching the internal structure or laws of Slovenian folk song and Slovenian spiritual culture in general, innovative in its approach and in integrating fields of research. Based on the research proposed, the expertise will therefore be enabled new insights and approaches to researching the Slovenian folk spiritual culture. The materials and analyses will provide other humanist and social sciences in Slovenia and abroad with the basis for urgent comparative studies, as well as the theoretical and methodological level of programme research, which will be integrated in the current European and global frameworks based on publishing the research findings in foreign magazines and publications.
Golež Kaučič, Marjetka. Ljudsko in umetno: dva obraza ustvarjalnosti. Ljubljana, 2003.
---. Thematization of nonhuman subjectivity in folklore, philosophical, and literary texts. Cosmos (Edinb.), 2011, vol. 27, pp. 121-154.
Bradley, Kevin (Ed.). Guidelines on the Production and Preservation of Digital Audio objects. Standards, Recommended Practices and Strategies (IASA-TC 04). Johannesburg: International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA), 2004.
Toelken, Barre. The Dynamics of Folklore. Revised and Expanded Edition. Utah, 1996.
Mihaylova, Katya. The Wandering Blind Mendicant Singer and the Slavic Ritual Year. Traditiones, 2012, vol. 41/1, pp. 227–242.
Nettl, Bruno. The Study of Ethnomusicology: Thirty-One Issues and Concepts. Urbana; Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2005.
Anttonen, Pertti J. Tradition through Modernity. Postmodernisem and the Nation State in Folklore Scholarship. Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society, 2005.
Clark, A. Whatever next? Predictive brains, situated agents, and the future of cognitive science. Behavioral and Brain sciences. 2012
Kunej, Rebeka. “Volkstanz in Slowenien heute.” In: Waltraud Froihofer (Ed.): Volkstanz zwischen den Zeiten. Weitra: Bibliothek der Provinz, 2012. pp. 150-154.
Significance for the country
The programme is a mosaic combining a body of research that is of utmost importance for Slovenia to establish itself in European and global integrations by exploring the part of Slovenian cultural heritage that is most original and autonomous. This is because it originates in folk spiritual culture, which both in the past and now has illuminated the part that pertains most to Slovenian national and cultural identity, and is at the same time of key importance to define the specificity of Slovenian culture as part of the European and global culture. It is this body of research into folk spiritual culture that provides an opportunity to learn about not only various cultures, but also their internal logic (thinking, philosophy, structure), the knowledge of which is prerequisite for a successful beginning and existence of intercultural dialogue and coexistence. Research into the integration of the social environment and song tradition together with its carriers can also serve as the basis to identify the socio-economic and cultural changes and survival strategies as well as new findings in ecology and ethics through folklore and culture. Indirect importance to the society, e.g. as promotion of the state: producing CDs; lectures at international scientific symposia and foreign universities; presentation of traditional Slovenian music, poetry and dance forms (Slovenian instrumental music, accordion, village feasts, humorous songs, ritual songs) within intercultural and inter-ethnic cooperation; access to foreign knowledge: organisation of international symposia; publishing articles and translations of foreign scientific articles; as well as theoretical and practical efforts in the field of folk vocal and instrumental music (workshops, seminars, lectures). Of direct importance for cultural development is presentation of folk music heritage, e.g. in the form of music events (Zajuckaj in zapoj), radio shows, scientific and popular publications, producing CDs with archive recordings with accompanying scientific texts; dissemination of archive music materials for educational needs; transfer of archive music materials for artistic adaptations as an opportunity to disseminate and preserve heritage. The research proposed also continues the efforts of GNI ZRC SAZU in archiving, documenting and digitalisation as well as the ensuing digital preservation of numerous collections, thus implementing the safeguarding of our cultural heritage, widening its accessibility, expanding the knowledge about it, which has been and will be enabled through multimedia digital archives EtnoMuza and Etnokatalog, and the web portal KlikvDomovino. Establishing the archives of digital multimedia contents is an important aspect of informatising the society, and of expanding the knowledge and understanding of cultural history. Research is also of major importance for the educational process and the training of new personnel, which is why they are included in individual courses that are lectured by members of the programme team at various under- and postgraduate programmes. Thanks to individual partial aspects of research, the programme helps enrich and develop the theory and history of folkloristics and ethnology as well as humanities in general in Slovenia.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2014,
2015,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2014,
2015,
final report
