Monitor ISH (Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences) has been published twice a year since 2001. The journal features scholarly articles in the fields of humanities and social sciences, ranging from anthropology to linguistics, in both Slovenian and English. All articles are available online. The journal publishes contributions by professors and students who explore diverse topics within the humanities and social sciences. ISSN: 1580-688X e-ISSN: 1580-7118 Media registry number: 272 The journal is indexed in dLib.si – Digital Library of Slovenia and included in international abstracting and indexing databases: ERIH+ – European Reference Index for the Humanities and Social Sciences IBZ – Internationale Bibliographie der Zeitschriftenliteratur
Institutum Studiorum Humanitatis, Alma Mater Press
The Past Made Present: Issues of Management, Presentation and Interpretation on the Example of the Late Roman Defence System Claustra Alpium Iuliarum
The paper presents issues concerning the management, presentation and interpretation of a complex cross-border monument, such as the Late Roman defence system the Claustra Alpium Iuliarum, which can be understood as a serial archaeological site. The defence system protected the passages to the heart of the Roman Empire. The archaeological remains of the system span in segments from Rijeka in Croatia to the Posočje region in Slovenia. The Claustra Alpium Iuliarum represents an outstanding example of integration of architecture into the natural environment: the archaeological remains are located mainly in wooded areas, which often overlap with protected natural areas, therefore their experience is closely linked to the enjoyment of nature. The remains of the system are spread over at least 19 small municipalities. In Croatia, they all pertain to the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county. In Slovenia, there are no regional entities which could coordinate and channel finances and activities for the valorisation of mentioned sites. In the absence of major and financially powerful entities, research, presentation and interpretation activities have mainly been implemented within the framework of several European projects, such as the PArSJAd, Claustra and Claustra+ project. The aim of these projects was to improve the attractiveness and highlight development opportunities of the defence system, also by connecting its stakeholders. Several research activities were implemented in order to improve the information basis for all dissemination activities. Parts of the archaeological remains were exhibited to the public. The projects were also intended to enhance the physical and informational accessibility of the remains. The sets of activities were focused on the development of a joint tourism product, and a participatory form of management was initiated through the establishment of a consortium of 42 stakeholders. The paper aims to provide a critical overview of the key archaeological, conservation and management activities that have been implemented on the Claustra Alpium Iuliarum system over the last two decades. It also seeks to highlight the main achievements of the European cross-border projects, evaluate their contribution to research, heritage protection and sustainable tourism, and reflect on the challenges of coordinating and managing a transnational, serial cultural heritage monument.
When Archaeology Comes to Life in 3D: From Virtual Reality to Archaeogaming
This paper offers an overview of the increasingly common use of digital technologies in archaeology and heritage communication. Selected examples illustrate how such methods support documentation, reconstruction and public presentation of archaeological heritage. Additionally, the emerging field of archaeogaming is discussed as a way through which archaeological content enters popular culture and education. The paper does not aim to provide a comprehensive treatment of the topic, but rather seeks to demonstrate how digital approaches can enrich archaeological practice and heritage communication, while opening questions of authenticity, sustainability and social responsibility.
Identitary Role of Design in the Context of Heritage Interpretation
The contribution discusses the importance of design as a key factor in the presentation and communication of identity in the field of cultural heritage reuse. It exposes the role of design as an inseparable part of the interpretive process, which can make a key contribution to the inclusivity, experience and acceptance of a heritage object in its original social environment. The author argues that with the help of design it is possible to achieve unique products or create experiences with a strong identity message, which serve as a link between the past and the present and guide the preservation of heritage for the future. The concepts of heritage environment, context and heritage values are defined. Furthermore, the article discusses the possibility of values being exposed, re-evaluated or neglected through design approaches. In order to better understand the role and effectiveness of numerous aspects of design in the practice of interpretation, the methodological approach is multidisciplinary and is based on heritology and hermeneutics. It comprises the deductive method, which consists of the study and analysis of fundamental literature from fields that range from heritology, museology, sociology, architecture and design. Additionally, a qualitative research method is based on the analysis of case-studies. The paper addresses the ethical issue of the neglect of design practice in the area in question. It also highlights the criticism of the heritage industry and the associated issue of commercialization, and concludes with a thought about the meaning of material design in the context of the non-material conception of heritage phenomena.
Digital Assets for the Study of Jordanian Heritage in the Nabataean and Roman Periods: The Data from the Madih (مديح) Project
This study explores digital assets related to Jordan's Nabataean and Roman heritage, focusing on datasets from the MaDiH (Mapping Digital Cultural Heritage in Jordan) project. The MaDiH initiative aimed to assess Jordan's digital cultural heritage (DCH) landscape in order to inform research infrastructure policies and improve access to archaeological and historical data. Jordan has emerged as a regional leader in DCH development, with collaborations between the Department of Antiquities and international institutions yielding significant databases such as MEGA-Jordan and JADIS. The research evaluates 133 datasets specific to the Nabataean and Roman periods, assessing their accessibility, ownership, and usability. These datasets primarily cover tangible heritage, including archaeological sites and objects, with limited representation of intangible cultural aspects. The majority exist in digital formats, yet accessibility challenges persist due to restrictive licenses, offline storage, and limited public availability. Ownership is primarily concentrated in universities, museums, and heritage institutions, but a significant portion remains in private hands. The study identifies disparities in dataset accessibility, whether online or offline, depending on location, and highlights concerns regarding local access to national heritage. Additionally, language barriers exist, with most datasets in English rather than Arabic. Findings emphasize the need for improved data standardisation, interoperability, and expanded public access to digital heritage. The MaDiH catalogue serves as a foundational tool for researchers and is a good starting point for a Jordanian heritage catalogue, while providing an example for similar efforts in other regions, however it requires further development to enhance engagement and integration with World Heritage platforms. Future efforts should focus on federating existing datasets, fostering multilingual accessibility, and strengthening Jordan's digital infrastructure to maximize the academic and economic benefits of its rich cultural heritage.
Management of the House Museums in Slovenia: A Study
House museums represent a distinct type of cultural heritage monument, distinguished by their authenticity as memorial sites associated with notable individuals or co-creators. The fundamental design of such memorial sites originates from spaces defined by natural and humanistic characteristics. These spaces, globally stable yet constantly changing in details, hold significant potential for preserving the link between the past and the present. Experiencing the space where historical events occurred enhances the understanding of their true value and thus objectifying potential memory. This underscores the important social and political role of house museums, which indirectly influence the relationship with the local community, the preservation of collective memory and heritage in its original environment. In Slovenia, the most common type of house museums are those associated with notable personalities and are categorised as representative historical houses. The first publicly accessible house museum in Slovenia, converted in 1939 in Vrba, was the birthplace of Slovenia's greatest poet – France Prešeren. Subsequent house museums followed the musealisation concept implemented in Prešeren's birthplace by Fran Saleški Finžgar. However, there is a lack of museological research and studies related to house museums in Slovenia, which affects their naming and evaluation, as the distinction between individual houses remains unclear. Various terms such as 'house museum', 'memorial house', 'birth house', 'literary museum', 'historical house', 'biographical museum', 'ethnographic house', 'homestead', and 'memorial room' are used interchangeably, and these museums are often labelled as museums, open-air museums or monuments. This research focuses on the management of house museums in Slovenia. A questionnaire was devised to be completed by the managers of thirty house museums, the aim of which was to: compile a list of all publicly accessible house museums in Slovenia, collect basic management information and, most importantly, examine cooperation between managers, museums, house owners, the Ministry of Culture, municipalities, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, and the interested public.
Public Archaeology and Local Public Involvement in Slovenian Museums
This paper examines the current state and key characteristics of public archaeology in Slovenia, with a particular emphasis on evaluating the degree of involvement of the local public as both partners and interlocutors in heritage processes. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from museology and heritology, the study highlights the importance of participatory and multiple-perspective models in democratizing heritage interpretation and management. The research is based on qualitative methodology, including semi-structured interviews with archaeologists working in regional and municipal museums. Preliminary findings indicate that public archaeology projects in Slovenia are predominantly shaped by the deficit model, in which knowledge flows mostly in one direction and is led by professionals. Although some elements of participatory practice and democratic intent are present – particularly through voluntary engagement – the design and conceptualisation of projects remain firmly within expert domains. The study identifies a lack of systemic support for the implementation of inclusive approaches, despite a strong awareness among professionals of the value of public collaboration. Recent attempts to weaken heritage protection legislation further underscore the need to cultivate stronger public alliances. The findings suggest that while individual efforts towards participatory practice exist, a shift towards institutional and policy-level support is necessary to realise the full potential of public archaeology as a socially responsive and democratically grounded field.
Traumatic Heritage Places in Urban Context – Assessment and Interpretation of Values
Heritage studies have, up to this point, paid little attention to urban landscapes and entire cities that have been considered as Traumatic Heritage Places (THP). As a contribution to the issue of management of non-values in such areas, this paper examines commemorative practice in the aftermath of the 1992–1995 siege of Sarajevo. Following three commemorative episodes, the analysis centers on the contribution of the urban sites' initial qualities to the construction of commemorative values. The key question is the mutual compatibility of the site's initial values and the added commemorative non-value: do they negate one another, or do they effectively coexist and build on each other? The analysis illustrates how disregarding the initial qualities of a site leads to competing claims about its significance and diminishes its pragmatic use. Furthermore, the conclusions of the article point out the vital importance of dialogue among the stakeholders involved, particularly the participation of the concerned users – the citizens, throughout the decision-making process, from the comprehensive and inclusive assessment of non-values assigned to the city, to their accommodation and conveying in a manner sensitive to the city's vital and dynamic urban context. Finally, the illustrated practice indicates a disregard for the prospects and potential brought about by a proper understanding and interpretation of the traumatic context – one that archives and commemorates, but also produces broader social changes critical for the process of reconciliation.
The Public, Community and Identity in the Legal Protection of Archaeological Heritage in Slovenia
This article provides a brief overview of the social phenomenon of the 'public', its role in the protection of cultural heritage, and a commented review of the heritage protection legislation in the territory of present-day Slovenia, with an emphasis on public involvement. Forms of archaeological discourse and the intensity of public involvement largely depend on heritage legislation. A review of legal acts in the field of cultural heritage protection from the late 18th century to the present reveals a growing role of the public in the discourse on archaeological heritage. Imperial decrees from the late 18th century, during the era of the absolutist monarchy, established the state's right of ownership over archaeological finds that were preserved in court collections. In the second half of the 19th century, as the bourgeois public gained social influence, archaeological remains became an integral part of public museums, and the right to protect them was assigned to the experts educated in the humanities employed in public institutions. This system of archaeological heritage protection on the territory of Slovenia remained in place even during the socialist period following World War II. However, during socialism, the subject of heritage protection began to shift, from elite social classes, largely originating from the bourgeois public, toward broader segments of society. Legal provisions dealing with archaeological and broader cultural heritage began addressing the general public as the bearer of heritage, although its role remained limited to that of a user, without the right or opportunity to participate actively in heritage protection processes. The shaping of heritage narratives remained the domain of experts employed by public institutions that operated under relatively strict political oversight. With the democratization of society in the final decade of the 20th century, the public began to take an active role in heritage protection processes. Legislation followed this shift, and by 2008 it enabled public involvement in specialist activities, such as the search for archaeological remains, which were previously the exclusive domain of professionals employed by public heritage institutions. Heritage communities that demonstrate an ethical relationship towards their heritage have begun to participate as active subjects in the processes of heritage protection, with their narratives now recognized as legal, legitimate and necessary components of the heritage discourse.
Cultural Heritage Legislation in Slovenia
Collective Memory and Identity Formation
Heritage as the Source of Identity: Interdependence of Key Heritage Concepts
Heritage discourses often emphasise heritage as an essential component of our present identities. Some heritage authorities even assert that identity is a quality attributed to heritage. However, the arguments supporting these claims are only partially convincing. Philosophical perspectives on the issue of identity emphasise its relativity. This relativity is contingent upon temporal fluctuations and, primarily, on the inherent ambiguity of phenomena such as heritage. We understand that no phenomena possess a substantial and permanent identity because they depend on factors and conditions that are constantly changing. This applies to individuals, communities, nations, and the heritage with which they identify. Nevertheless, at a practical level, identity provides relative benefits to individuals and communities. Conventionally, a shared identity involves individuals feeling a connection to their community based on shared values and memories. From a sociological perspective, Maurice Halbwachs introduced the concept of collective memory, which is shaped by the social interactions and traditions of a specific community. Later, proponents of cultural sociology have demonstrated how social groups affirmed and validated their identities through their historical backgrounds. The paper discusses the key concepts of heritage: memory, knowledge, and values. These concepts create a network where the heritage identity dimension can be mapped, correlating to the role heritage plays (or can play) for individuals and contemporary society. In conclusion, my paper illustrates that identity clarifies the interdependence between values, knowledge, and memories as conceptual building blocks of heritage. It also discusses the importance of interdisciplinary heritology (heritage studies) in exploring personal and collective identities that manifest in heritage. The paradoxical nature of personal and group identities lies in their dependence on how we define ourselves in relation to the 'other'. As a result, heritage cannot possess a self-sufficient and distinct identity; instead, its identity can only be fully realised through embracing inclusivity and acknowledging the heritage of others. A society becomes visible to itself and others through its cultural heritage. The past, as reflected in that heritage, along with the values emerging from its identification, reveals much about the viability and prospects of a society.
The purpose of the paper is to highlight the characteristics of postmodern society and its needs in order to better understand the role of heritage in the lives of individuals and communities. The article discusses the causes and consequences of the radical changes that took place in the 1960s. It describes the effects of rapid economic and environmental changes, which greatly threaten heritage in its original environment and lead to the loss of traditional knowledge, the erasure of identity, and the emergence of alienation. The characteristics of modernism and postmodernism are briefly presented; we also show the changes in public attitudes brought about by the use of modern communication technology. The phenomenon of individualisation and the influence of consumerism on the instrumentalisation of modern man are highlighted. From the perspective of philosophical anthropology, the influence of the social crisis on interpersonal relationships and the role of the individual, as well as the loss of meaning, are discussed. The importance of the active role of the public in the protection and preservation of heritage, which has become a value of society in the 21st century, is explained. Changes in heritage approaches and concepts of heritage preservation are presented through a review of international charts and documents. The concept of the ecomuseum is presented and the key role of the heritage community is outlined. The importance of societal and personal values is highlighted from a psychological perspective, and taking this into account, opportunities and responses to societal needs that heritage can offer are identified. The importance of active public involvement in heritage preservation as a value of the living environment is explained. The role of ethics and the humanistic nature of heritage processes is briefly outlined.
Fingerprint Between Control and Resistance: Biometrics and the Autonomy of Migration in the European Union
This article examines the role of fingerprints in the governance of migration in the European Union. Although it represents only a centimeter of skin that appears to be a universal part of the human body, the fingerprint (and fingerprinting) reveals much broader meanings in the context of migration. The author approaches the topic through the analytical framework of the Autonomy of Migration, highlighting the dual nature of this biometric technology: on the one hand, as a tool of control, and on the other as a means of its subversion. The article first analyses how fingerprinting is embedded in contemporary European migration policies, particularly within the Eurodac system and the Dublin Regulation. Through the theoretical lens of the autonomy of migration, the author demonstrates that migrants are not merely objects of governance but autonomous actors who, within the cracks of control regimes, create spaces of creativity, solidarity, and evasion. Concrete strategies of resistance related to fingerprinting are presented, including fingertip mutilation, the refusal of procedures, and the exploitation of legal loopholes. Drawing on theoretical analysis and empirical insights, the article reveals a relational dynamic between control and autonomy, in which these two processes continuously and mutually produce one another.
Everyday Nationhood and the Border(scape): Slovenian Istria and Italian Media Consumption
Thie article presents the intersection of everyday nationhood (Fox and Miller Idriss 2008a) and borderland dynamics through the lens of media consumption in Slovenian Istria, a region bordering Italy and Croatia. Drawing on Fox and Miller-Idriss's (2008) framework of everyday nationhood and borderscapes theory (Brambilla 2014; dell'Agnese and Amilhat Szary 2015; Krichker 2019), the study investigates the lived everyday social reality at the border, especially regarding the evocation of nation while engaging with transborder cultural flows. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a telephone survey (N=715) with in-depth (life-history) interviews (N=30) conducted among the inhabitants of Slovenian Istria. Findings reveal a dual phenomenon: while respondents nationally predominantly identify as Slovenian, they simultaneously acknowledge the region's transcultural character in relation to the proximity of the Italian border and the cultural and social life across it. Italian media, particularly television, widely consumed especially, during the late 20th century, has shaped Istrians sensibilities, providing shared cultural references and interpretive communities among peers. The study demonstrates that media consumption serves as a mundane yet a significant practice through which borderland inhabitants enact, negotiate, and sometimes subvert nationalism's (puristic) frameworks. Despite recognising cultural similarities with Italians, respondents maintain distinct national self-identifications, revealing persistent 'mental borders' alongside lived transculturality. The article contributes to border studies by illustrating how everyday practices – in the case presented, particularly media consumption – reveal the fluidity and complexity of borders as lived spaces, challenging the naturalised equation of 'national territory' with 'national culture' while acknowledging the enduring salience of national frameworks in borderland identities.
Transnational Social Spaces of Descendants of Bosnian Immigrants in Slovenia
The article explores the concept of transnational social spaces through a study of the activities and lived experiences of the descendants of immigrants. In this qualitative research, we conducted interviews with descendants of the immigrant community from Bosnia and Herzegovina in Slovenia, through which we explored how they maintain transnational ties with their extended kinship network and how they take advantage of the benefits of these networks. With the help of excerpts from the interviews, we present the mechanism of reciprocity, the involvement of descendants in institutional, organizational, and business cooperation within the broader transnational network, as well as the ways of communicating with the transnational kinship group.
Liminal Lives: Violence, Peace, and Urban Belonging in Calcutta, 1946–1992
This article examines communal violence in Calcutta between 1946 and 1992 through the analytical lens of liminality to explore how moments of crisis reshaped urban belonging, identity, and spatial relations. Rather than treating riots as episodic breakdowns of order, it conceptualizes them as threshold moments that suspended everyday norms and produced unstable configurations of community, territory, and citizenship. Beginning with the Great Calcutta Killings of 1946 and continuing through the disturbances of 1950 and 1964 to the violence of 1992, the study traces continuities in the forms, actors, and meanings of urban conflict. Drawing on archival reports, press accounts, and secondary scholarship, the article argues that communal violence was embedded in the city's social geography – its neighbourhoods, refugee flows, and labour patterns. Riots transformed familiar spaces such as neighbourhoods and religious sites into liminal zones where protection and threat coexisted. These episodes reveal the ambivalent roles of state agencies and local strongmen, alongside moments of inter-communal solidarity that complicate narratives of inevitable antagonism. By foregrounding experiential and spatial dimensions, the article demonstrates how recurring crises produced a fragile but persistent urban coexistence, where belonging is negotiated in the in-between spaces of memory and interaction.
Constructing the Discursive Frontiers: A Discourse-Theoretical Analysis of the Blue Homeland Doctrine in a TRT Documentary
This article examines how Turkey's maritime borders are discursively constructed in the Mavi Vatan [Blue Homeland] doctrine as sites of national identity, historical justice, and power. Analysing a TRT documentary on Mavi Vatan and its YouTube audience reception, this study identifies three nodal points, namely, Homeland, Justice, and Power, that organise a hegemonic discourse linking territorial claims to existential questions. The findings illustrate how the hegemonic claims of the Mavi Vatan doctrine naturalise controversial maritime boundaries, mobilise collective emotion, and construct antagonistic others such as Greece and Western powers. The study highlights the crucial role of media in shaping border imaginaries and argues that the doctrine's success in unifying national sentiment also constrains democratic debate and diplomatic flexibility. By analysing the discursive processes behind frontier-making, the article advances understanding of contemporary nationalism and the politics of borders.
Dagestan de-constructed: failed multiculturalism and internal borders in a borderland region
Dagestan, a borderland republic within the Russian Federation, presents a unique case study of how ethnic diversity can create internal fragmentation rather than unified multiculturalism. This study examines how the coexistence of over 30 officially recognised ethnic groups and 14 languages has paradoxically resulted in rigid internal boundaries that divide rather than unite society. Through qualitative fieldwork involving interviews and participant observation, this research reveals how Dagestan's diversity has created what I term 'failed multiculturalism' - where diversity becomes a source of division rather than strength. The findings demonstrate that ethnic diversity does not automatically lead to successful multicultural integration, but can produce fragmented societies where internal boundaries prove as divisive as international borders.
Between Camp and Cross: Ambiguity, Memory, and Commemoration in Trnopolje
This article examines how historical narratives, collective memory, and embodied personal experience shape postwar nation-making and border-making in Bosnia-Herzegovina, through an ethnographic analysis of commemorative landscapes in the north-western municipality of Prijedor. Based on personal narratives, everyday practices, and situated encounters with sites such as the former Trnopolje detention camp, the Trnopolje Cross, the Kozarac memorial, and the Prijedor Cross, the article explores how ethno-national modes of commemoration produce and sustain contested 'deathscapes'. It argues that, despite profound ethno-national and religious divisions between Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) living in Republika Srpska, the dead are publicly acknowledged and ritually commemorated in comparable ways, so long as remembrance remains anchored within nationalistic frameworks of 'us' versus 'them'. Drawing on anthropological theories of collective memory (Halbwachs 1980), nationalism and nation-making (Gellner 1987; Smith 1991), and the political lives of the dead (Verdery 1999), the article demonstrates how routine, everyday engagements with monuments and commemorative practices reproduce ethno-national belonging and sediment post-conflict divisions in Prijedor.
Russian Emigrants in Slovenian Newspaper Battles
The split between Liberals and Catholics marked a long period of public and political life in Slovenia. An important role in the outbreak and maintenance of this conflict was played by the leading press of the time. The Russian emigrants who had sought refuge in Slovenia soon found themselves caught in the crossfire between the two camps. Of the stories about Russian emigrants published in the interbellum press (Jutro, Slovenec, Slovenski Narod), public interest concentrated on the events accompanying the eviction of Russian students from the Ljubljana Castle. Two other notable events were Bishop Jeglič’s pre-election visit to the Russian shanties near the Ljubljana railway station and Fran Grivec’s lecture in support of Russian refugees. These stories, by which each camp sought to demonstrate (mainly to the other) the high level of its local ‘pro-Russian’ stance, were intended as proof of their wider ‘Slavic’ policies.
Russia as Seen by Slovenian Politics from the Sarajevo Assassination to the Outbreak of the World War in 1914
After the Sarajevo assassination of June 28th, 1914, Slovenian politicians carefully observed the actions of the European superpowers. The contemporary international role and significance of the Russian Empire were considered by the Catholic and Liberal camps but ignored by the Marxist camp. Slovenian politics saw Russia as a dangerous country, hostile to Austria-Hungary, and as a threat to European peace. The most negative attitude to Russia, based on Austrian patriotism, was adopted by the Catholic camp, which supported its anti-Russian stance with ideological and religious reasons. When Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia on August 6th, 1914, Slovenians were convinced of Austrian victory. In the course of the war, however, the Slovenian outlook on Russia changed: as the anti-Austrian disposition grew, Russia began to be seen in a more favourable light by the Catholic and Liberal camps alike.
The matica is a type of Slavic cultural institution that was established in the 19th century by all Slavic peoples of the Habsburg Monarchy, including the Galician Russophiles in 1848. The establishment of the Slovenian Matica was promoted by certain Russian individuals and institutions. In 1924, when the Russian Matica in Galicia had almost ceased to exist, Russian refugees to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians established their own ‘Russian Matica’ in Ljubljana. Several branches sprang up in various parts of the Kingdom. The Russian Matica organised lectures, literary evenings, Sunday school, literary competitions, sports events, exhibitions, and courses in the Russian language, photography and music, while also providing special funds for poor children, Russian schools, the disabled, etc. Its most successful branch was the one in Novi Sad (Serbia), while its planned publishing activity was not as vigorous as its work on establishing Russian libraries. The Russian Matica died out with the occupation of Yugoslavia by the Fascist and Nazi troops in 1941.
Russian emigrants to Yugoslavia 1918—1945
Intelligentsia in Russia, Intellectuals in Slovenia
During their complex, initially spontaneous and later predominantly dictated modernisation, the western countries accepted intellectuals into their state apparatuses. As a result, the latter never formed an independent, oppositional group of citizens. They subscribed to various ideological trends while working as intellectuals in the public sphere. Russia, on the other hand, underwent a different process. Under the special circumstances accompanying the development of an autocratically ruled Russian Empire, which was drawn into modernisation processes by orders ‘from above’ (Peter I, Catherine II, Alexander II), the educated stratum organised itself as a particular group of citizens – the intelligentsia. These were crucially defined by their critical attitude to the government. In 1917, following the downfall of the imperial rule, which was incapable of a quick and radical self-reform, this stratum found itself in the ruler’s capacity, but their inability for constructive work soon deprived them of power. They were superseded by professional revolutionaries, who were their rivals in opposing the Empire. Most of the intelligentsia emigrated abroad, where they initially tried to work as they had in Russia, but the new currents in their host countries transformed their status into that of intellectuals. In Soviet Russia, on the other hand, the newly trained intelligentsia gained a different role: they were to ensure a professional construction of socialism. This was likewise the case in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, including Slovenia, where the concept of the intelligentsia first appeared in its Soviet variety, after the Communist revolution.
The Russian Emigrant School System in Interbellum Slovenia
In almost every country where they settled, the Russian emigrants who had left their homeland after the defeat of the antirevolutionary forces organised their own school system. This was also the case in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, where Russian emigrant schools were not only included in the educational system of the so-called ‘Expatriate Russia’ but integrated into the educational system of the host country as well. The Russian educational institutions in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians included some recognised institutions from Tsarist Russia, which had emigrated together with their students and teachers after the Russian Civil War, as well as institutions recently founded by Russian emigrants. The territory of present-day Slovenia hosted Russian kindergartens, primary schools, school groups, a Realgymnasium and – briefly – two cadet corps.
Russian Traces from World War I in Slovenia
Most citizens from Tsarist Russia who were present in Slovenia during World War I were Russian prisoners of war. Their estimated number was between 20,000 and 30,000, but a more precise figure may be yielded by research in the archives, which are to become more accessible in the future. Russian prisoners of war were sent to the hinterland of the Isonzo front, and there was a strict demarcation line between those responsible for the construction of strategically important (military) objects and communication systems near the frontline (roads, water supply network, railways, cable cars, airports, warehouses, etc.) and those engaged in community service (farmers, workers, craftsmen) throughout Carniola, the Littoral, Carinthia and Styria. In addition to the (as yet) scarce archival sources, enriched with precious private collections, their lives are most eloquently attested by memorials, gravestones, constructions (roads, railways, a chapel, etc.), place names containing the adjective ‘Russian’, dispersed newspaper articles, photographs, testimonies, and individual objects.
Spektorsky and the Fate of His History of Social Philosophy
Evgeny V. Spektorsky (1875–1951) based his monograph, a survey of the history of social science ideas, on his teaching experience at the universities of Warsaw, Kiev, Prague, Belgrade and Ljubljana. The manuscript, finished by mid-1931, was accepted for publication by the Slovenska Matica publishing house on the recommendation of Anton Lajovic, lawyer and composer. Entitled The History of Social Philosophy, it was translated into Slovenian by Josip Vidmar and published in two volumes in 1932 and 1933. The print run was high: 5,000 copies of Volume I and 4,500 copies of Volume II. Spektorsky argued for a genetic analysis of the history of social science thought, which he saw as a treasury of ideas influencing human life. He emphasised the impact of ideas because these had, in his view, left a deeper impact on the history of mankind than scientific studies or proofs of eternal truths. Although critical of Marxism, whose pretensions to a scientific world view he saw as a mere propaganda move, Spektorsky never accepted dogmatic views.
Fran Grivec (1878–1963) and Russian Studies
The study examines the remarkable attitude of Fran Grivec, a Slovenian theologian and researcher of Slavic Christian history, to Russian spirituality and Orthodoxy. Grivec, the initiator and long-time head of the Velehrad Congresses, intentionally highlighted the ecumenical dimension of both theological mission and historical research. This emphasis was particularly evident in his association between the beginnings of Slavic literacy, including the Slovenian ‘Monumenta Frisingensia’, and the mission of the two brothers, Saints Cyril and Methodius. Thoroughly familiar with Russian ecclesiastical history, Grivec regularly monitored the state of mind in contemporary Russia and was evidently critical of certain Russian scientific findings. He offered an original interpretation of the evangelical message, referring to a unifying mission to re-establish the older concept of the ‘Universal Church’. The paper is based on his manuscript legacy, especially his correspondence. The latter attests to the international significance of Grivec’s researches, which gained scholarly recognition after WW II.
The Clash of Worlds in the Ganusov Family: The Murder of Julia Ganusova and Her Son Rostislav in Ljutomer in the Summer of 1923
The study follows the trial of a Russian refugee, Vasily Chernyenko, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in September 1923 by the District Court in Maribor. As a house servant, he had been found guilty of the brutal murder of his employer, 26-year-old Julia Ganusova, and her 3-year-old son Rostislav in July 1923 in Ljutomer. A comprehensive criminal file, discovered by the author in the Regional Archives Maribor, reveals a stunning network of relationships within the Russian Ganusov family, as well as its ties with other Russian refugees and the Ljutomer locals. In the aftermath of World War I there were many Russians, including Julia’s husband, mechanical engineer Alexander Ganusov, who participated in the construction of the railway line Ormož – Ljutomer – Murska Sobota. The author views the story in the light of Freud’s suggestion that pathology is a structural, social deviation rather than an individual one.
the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians
The Slovenian Period in the Life of E.V. Spektorsky (the 1930s): Unpublished Materials
The paper discusses aspects of the life and work of Russian philosopher and lawyer Spektorsky in Slovenia during the 1930s. Spektorsky was a professor at the Law Faculty of the University of Ljubljana. The study draws chiefly on his unpublished memoirs, stored in the archives of the Institute of Eastern Europe at the University of Bremen, and details the search for this work, long considered lost. Spektorsky’s memoirs include the author’s perceptions of Ljubljana, of its lifestyle and the political and religious life in Slovenia, as well as the distinctive features of the Russian immigrants who taught at the Ljubljana University.
Thinking the Interview: On the Epistemology of an Intersubjective Field Method (Part I)
The paper presents the complex issue of understanding and conducting an interview as the predominant form of empirical qualitative research. The epistemology of this particular intersubjective field method is viewed from an interdisciplinary perspective, despite the assumption that the interview method as a means of collecting data and information has been brought to the most differentiated uses and sophisticated reflections by the anthropological science. The red thread of the text’s argument is the constant adaptability, changeability and interchangeability of the subject and object positions which are established by researcher and informant in an interview. For an easier grasp of the fluid, flexible and circumstantial construction of the particular interpersonal relationship within an interview situation, the author proposes eight perspectives, based on well-established theories of some important thinkers in the field of the social sciences and humanities, which may be helpful in reflecting on the positions, roles, investments, and doings of the two protagonists within an interview situation: performative perspective, derived from the theory of speech acts (John L. Austin); polyphonic perspective, based on the theory of enunciation (Oswald Ducrot); interpellational perspective, developed on the basis of the theory of ideology (Louis Althusser); discursive perspective, underpinned by the theory of power and authority (Michel Foucault); psychoanalytic perspective, centred around the theory of the unconscious (Sigmund Freud); ethnographic perspective, capped by the theory of reflexivity (Pierre Bourdieu); mnemonic perspective, grounded on the theory of memory (Maurice Halbwachs); dramaturgical perspective, supported by the theory of interaction (Erving Goffman). Whether the interview is taken as a research method, a special social encounter or a series of tasks to be performed by interviewer and interviewee, it is clear that each and every interview is a unique event of specific human contact and communication.
Aleksandr Vasilievich Makletsov and the Beginnings of Criminology in Slovenia
Russian scholar Aleksandr Vasilievich Makletsov is arguably the father of Slovenian criminology, having developed numerous criminal law theories at the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana from 1926 until his death. With more than 150 scholarly works published in different languages, and with his work at the then barely established University of Ljubljana, he raised the general academic level of the lectures and significantly contributed to the University’s promotion. A respected member of the Ruska Matica cultural society, he actively participated in establishing and promoting its activities, helped his new homeland by acting as the official translator into Russian for the Ministry of Justice, and was an amateur poet and translator of poetry. The purpose of this text is to highlight the pedagogical and scholarly importance of the erudite Professor Makletsov, as well as to show his commitment in the fields of politics, literature, translation and editing.
AB BA. Aleksandr Bilimovich and Aleksander Bajt: Searching for the Soul of Economics/Economists
The paper is a study on Aleksander Bajt, the disciple and successor of Aleksandr Bilimovich at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ljubljana. More precisely, it compares the claims from his last book, Berman’s Dossier (1999), where he is presented as an internal emigrant and dissident, to his writings between 1953 and 1960. This comparison neither confirms Bajt’s claims from 1999 nor justifies his posture of principle.