Projects / Programmes
Basic Research of Slovene Cultural Past
January 1, 2015
- December 31, 2021
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.01.00 |
Humanities |
Historiography |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H000 |
Humanities |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.01 |
Humanities |
History and Archaeology |
historical sources, social and economic history, historical topography and geography, actuality of history, digital databases, digital humanities, castelology, social history of medicine, First World War
Researchers (15)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The proposed research programme is approached from three fundamentals – 1) the specificity of historical research, which covers all areas of human activity in the past and has an explicitly long-term focus, 2) the significance of historical sources, which serve as the basis and conditio sine qua non of historical research, and 3) the importance that history as a scholarly discipline has with its contribution to national and state identity. The proposed research programme, based on the aforementioned fundamentals, is divided into four thematic clusters that also reflect general research activities performed at the Milko Kos Historical Institute: i.e. critical editions of historical sources, social and economic history, historical topography and geography of the Slovenian territory and research of current historical processes and phenomena. The programme has two emphases – research on the earlier history of the Slovenian territory (the medieval and modern periods or periods until the end of the First World War), and research on under-represented or rather deficit areas in Slovenian historiography (the history of nobility, social history of medicine, historical topography, identities, spatial studies …).
In addition to classical research methods, research will include modern information technology to process a vast corpus of data. Such an approach will ensure the originality of research, provide a reference value to the results and warrant the development of new research directions that will, in an interdisciplinary manner, link historiography to other, not only humanistic and social but also natural scientific disciplines.
Significance for science
In historiography, PUBLICATIONS OF THE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS are the foundation of all comprehensive research and play a double role. On the one hand, they ensure the dissemination of unique original manuscript specimens. They facilitate access to and studies of written remnants of the past for a large number of both Slovenian and foreign researchers, saving them the time-consuming work with archival manuscripts. On the other hand, the editions already incorporate basic research on sources themselves, including the determination of authenticity, origin and dating, identification of places and persons, and together with the aids (indexes) enormously facilitate the use of sources. Thus, they also enable comparative research for wider geographical areas and/or periods, but first and foremost, they give researchers-users a certain measure of “data” safety by also enabling the use of sources to somewhat less competent researchers.
In addition to critical editions of new historical sources, new impulses in the development of historiography are also provided by several other aspects. On the one hand, they include dealing with what is considered DEFICIT themes in Slovenian historiography, which will bring greater variety and more comprehensive views of the historical processes and phenomena in the Slovenian territory and provide researchers with references in Slovenian as well as wider area. On the other hand, the inclusion of new information technologies guarantees a technological and methodological breakthrough into the field of the so-called DIGITAL HUMANITIES, which are rarely represented in Slovenian historiography. Such technology enables a systematic processing of a vast corpus or a large sample of all kinds of data, thus rendering the final results much more relevant as in the past. Simultaneously, profession is not merely a user of the new technologies but actively contributes to their development. All this points to the originality, topicality and interdisciplinarity of the programme as well as the capacity of its operators to face contemporary challenges and keep abreast of the latest progress offered by the rapid technological development.
With the themes selected under the proposed research programme, Slovenian historiography will become more comparable to similar research abroad, as well as undertake and continue the already set COMPARATIVE STUDIES at both European and broader level. In terms of its contents, the programme will ensure a balance between Slovenian and European historiography in the research of economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of phenomena.
The findings of proposed research programme research will contribute new findings about the Slovenian territory and national community to the corpus of knowledge of human history.
Significance for the country
In the era of globalisation, the research of Slovenian past is of tremendous social and cultural importance: it enables the STRENGTHENING OF NATIONAL IDENTITY, knowledge of who we are and why we are what we are, it maintains national awareness and historical memory as well as spreads the knowledge of the world in which we live and our roles in it. It is on the basis of such understanding that Slovenia and its citizens will be able to integrate into the world society and culture on an equal basis and with greater self-confidence.
The proposed research programme will have a double impact on Slovenia. On the one hand, it will PROMOTE THE SLOVENIAN STATE, with the results placing it even more firmly on a par to those European countries that have already enriched the treasuries of their achievements with similar research. The results of our research will show that Slovenia is Europe in miniature; its territory has witnessed all kinds of processes and phenomena characteristic of Europe. On the other hand, the results will enable us to CO-CREATE STATE POLICIES in the fields that are set within the framework of the proposed programme, i.e. culture, cultural heritage, science and social welfare. In other words, only results based on scientific methods can ensure progress as well as more competently set long-term solutions and pave the way towards a responsible and competent society.
The results of our research are also guaranteed INCLUSION IN THE EDUCATION PROCESS AT ALL LEVELS, as no fewer than six associates of the proposed programme group are habilitated at Slovenian universities (Ljubljana, Koper and Nova Gorica), lecturing also on the issues to which the programme research will provide a welcome and quality completion. Historical research is important for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT in that it often touches on the history of economic branches, as well as detects and examines the oscillations or the cyclicity of the economic historical processes, determines the factors of influence and studies historical economic models. Thus, it allows us to determine the level of development of some economic branch in the country and to avoid repeating eventual errors from the past. At the same time, the results of historiographical research are successfully integrated especially into CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL TOURISM, as tourist destinations (individual places, areas, castles, etc.) are made more interesting for tourists through a better understanding of our own past. This, in turn, helps us to establish and facilitate a culture of dialogue, peaceful coexistence and cohabitation, as well as to develop a more POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS CULTURAL HERITAGE. Simultaneously, tourism as the fastest growing industry is, also according to the estimates and predictions at a global level, one of the driving forces in the development of countries and overcoming the current global crisis.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2015,
interim report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2015,
interim report
