Projects / Programmes
Medkulturne literarnovedne študije (Slovene)
January 1, 2004
- December 31, 2008
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.07.00 |
Humanities |
Literary sciences |
|
| 6.06.00 |
Humanities |
Culturology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H520 |
Humanities |
Germanic philology |
| H530 |
Humanities |
German language and literature |
| H540 |
Humanities |
Dutch language |
| H570 |
Humanities |
English language and literature |
| H590 |
Humanities |
Baltic and Slavonic languages and literatures |
| S271 |
Social sciences |
Special didactics |
| S272 |
Social sciences |
Teacher education |
| S280 |
Social sciences |
Adult education, permanent education |
Researchers (18)
Organisations (3)
Significance for science
Having noticed an astonishing rise in the topicality of the intercultural paradigm within the European and worldwide context as well as having determined its applicability in research, a group of 18 researchers set themselves the task to perform a scholarly investigation of it five years ago. The relevance of the research field of interculturalism as well as topically related concepts that imply diverse cultural phenomena in contact, differentiation, contrast and relationship has been officially confirmed. The prevalence and establishment of the term, which has been frequently used unprofessionally in public, confirms the need of its scholarly substantiation as well as adequate notification of the public that was anticipated in the beginning and remains a desideratum in the subsequent research period. In line with our vision, we understand “literature” in a broader sense, not just as a source for the creation of the aesthetic superlative or as the place where national identity is being preserved, but rather as a laboratory of social and individual models of (co)existence. This broad concept of literature links up with the understanding of intercultural study of literature as the most complex part of intercultural communication that contributes to the awareness of the widest intercultural linguistic contacts. As the processes of globalization increase the amount as well as the need for such communication and intercultural contacts, an entirely new form of research of the above has developed internationally. A group of researchers has set itself the task to determine the applicability and transmissibility of scholarly models and solutions in our environment; above all it wanted to determine the missing links and the problems as well as search for adequate scholarly solutions. The research group that has to a large degree theoretically dealt with a broad field of interculturalism in literature has succeded. Apart from the theoretical modeling of interculturalism in the field of literature which is a special achievement of the program group, researchers in five languages (English/American, German/Swiss, Croatian, Serbian and Macedonian) dedicated plenty of attention to contemporary literature, from drama to hypertext. Since the treatment of specific genres, themes, authors and periods includes a theoretical and intercultural reflection as well - the view from without frequently reveals more than is visible in the customary cultural environment - some papers represent a major contribution to the dialogue between cultures, between the personal and the foreign; the very inter- as well as over-cultural view enables common understanding. A number of treatises (as well as three books) deal with intercultural contacts in a most direct manner. They approach intercultural contacts from literary historical, thematic and receptive point of view. Special achievement of the research group is the inclusion of Slovene perspective; the treatises deal with the specifics of intercultural relationships and contacts that are typical of Slovene history and culture, e.g. immigrant literature, particularly American, Canadian and Australian, Slovene literature written in German at various times, literature written in Yugoslavia before and after its disintegration. Last but not least, in the cultural paradigm of the last decade a postcolonial approach has established itself bringing in a new aspect in the research of the most recent critical evaluation of immigrant literary creativity in English. – The above treatises not only bring new knowledge and understanding but also reveal new sources, change the image of national and foreign culture and testify to the continuity and permanence of intercultural tensions as well as the need to solve them.
Significance for the country
The year 2008 was officially declared the year of »Intercultural dialogue« by the European Union and thus exposed interculturality as the greatest asset of Europe today. The research programme described here in its proposed scheme already five years ago anticipated the paramount importance and relevance of interculturality as a research problem cluster. We namely wrote in it as follows:«Despite the undisputed achievements and the socio-economic relevance of the research theme and its objectives, we nonetheless self-critically feel that the general public, despite our efforts, is not yet fully aware of all the relevant research results and tools we have and we still intend to develop: the need for implementation and transfer of results thus remains in the next research period one of our priorities.« With our research and teaching as well as other activities, described here, we undoubtly contributed to achieve the set goals in Slovenia and in Europe. 1. Organization of meetings and conferences: - 9 – 12 .June 2004 »German literary press of the 19th and 20th centuriey in South-Eastern Europe« - 17 - 19 November 2005 »Anastasius Gruen in our time and space« - 22 - 25 June 2006 »Ingeborg Bachmann: new readings and further writings« - 19 - 21 October 2006 »Stefan Zweig and the demonic« - 22 - 25 February 2007 »German as a foreign language in the German departments in South-Eastern Europe: New programmes, new challenges, new regional cooperation in the Bologna process« - 23 – 26 May 2007 »The establishment of literary centres in South-Eastern Europe. Representative cases Ljubljana-Ptuj-Pešta-Czernowitz…« - 19 – 20 June 2008 »Franz Kafka and Robert Walser« - 21 - 23 November 2008 »Movens-from transgression towards the dialogic and intercultural: the change of literary and cultural paradigms«. 2. A group of researchers worked on numerous entries in their respective fields for The Great Slovenian Lexicon, published by Mladinska knjiga, while two researchers were invited to prepare various entries for the famous Kindler Literary lexicon, which is to be published in a new edition in 2009. 3. It goes without saying that the research programme with its results has resulted clearly also in new practical knowledge, information and skills. The books by Meta Grosman should be emphasized in this context. Numerous researchers from our group have contributed to the preservation and protection of our cultural heritage, and especially to foster the awareness of the public for it, especially those that deal with the theme from a historical and archival point of view. The entire research group has contributed to the development of the national cultural identity. The field, which is greatly responsible for that, is the field of the translation of foreign literatures into Slovenian and the dissemination of our cultural literary creativity abroad in foreign translations, , introductory studies to new literary translations, book reviews in the daily press, appearances and presentations abroad, appearances in the media, and the like. Raising the awareness of cognitive patterns of accepting foreign cultures and through their foreignized view of our own culture ensures not only an increase in the quality of the organization of intercultural contacts, but also enables a more efficient and more economical performance in one's own and foreign cultures alike: only one particularly evident aspect is the mediation of literature into the Slovenian cultural space. The knowledge of cultural differences, their description, the ways of their discourse practices crucially contributes to a more effective and successful functioning in foreign cultures. At the same time we know that the mediation of literature into our own cultural space from the early school years onwards influences the development of intercultural conscience and sensitivity, one that is a must in the contemporary development of Europe and the world.
Most important scientific results
Final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Final report,
complete report on dLib.si
