Projects / Programmes
Medkulturne literarnovedne študije (Slovene)
January 1, 2009
- December 31, 2013
| 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 |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.02 |
Humanities |
Languages and Literature |
Researchers (26)
Organisations (2)
Significance for science
During the past decades the world, its cultures and societies are increasingly connected and closely intertwined in all the fields. It is important for such collaboration that its individual elements understand each other, that they understand the culture, conventions, norms and the rules of the one they work with, that they know the cultural specificities of individual cultural and social milieus, their historical and cultural heritage, and especially that they understand each other and are able to communicate with each other. Although it may seem that the rise of natural, technical and social disciplines has over the past few decades led to the marginalization of humanist and hermeneutic traditions, since they do not operate always in the same way as natural sciences, technical and social sciences, this marginalization is merely an impression – without a good knowledge of the culture of the other and especially without the tools for an effective linguistic and intercultural communication, there cannot be a fruitful collaboration in any field whatsoever. The research of the group members will significantly broaden the theoretical standpoints in the study of Slovenian diasporic/emigrant literature and from the Slovenian perspective upgrade postcolonial critical approaches. From the point of view of intercultural or interlingual mediation within the research topics, it exposes the problem of the dynamics of word-switching and anomalies in contact between English/German/South-Slavonic/Scandinavian and Slovenian fiction, which has so far not been enough systematically researched. Research will contribute new knowledge in the field of emotion research, space perception and cultural transfer and to a great extent help to a greater sensibility and tolerance in intercultural dialogue in real life and thus contribute to a better understanding in the contacts between peripheral literatures themselves and the intermediary role of central cultures in these contacts on the global level, for Slovenian researchers have a better chance in observing them »from within« than researchers from central (European) cultures. Due to the already mentioned changing of criteria of the scientific activity, trying to be ever more objective and rigorous, which more and more follow the natural sciences way of activity, literary science has found itself faced with a seemingly insoluble dilemma: by adopting the methods of empirical sciences it risks the loss of autonomy and identity, by insisting on hermeneutic standpoints, however, it risks marginalization and a detachment from the scientific paradigm. The solution of the problem has to be sought in the holistic doing away with the asymmetry of value: the humanities must follow the example of empirical sciences in those dimensions that are the most effective ones (pragmatic synthesis of theoreticism, empiricism and application). At the same time, it has to make good use of the potentials of self-reflexive and multi-perspective thinking. Hermeneutic thinking can namely provide a holistic literary study approach and thus upgrade empirical studies about biological, cognitive, social and cultural contexts of literary communication. Literature itself is a foreign element in its own culture (Wintersteiner), which is why its study and the study of intercultural communication enables an easier and better decoding of the foreign in society, understanding of relationships, politics, economy, and the like. Thus it creates the foundations for a successful collaboration within each individual culture, subculture, society and social group and a tolerant and productive collaboration with others.
Significance for the country
Intercultural contacts often begin with contacts between the literatures of two different cultures, by reports about the goings-on on a certain literary scene, by reports about individual literary works, their adaptations, translations, summaries and research, which give us an insight into the until then unknown culture and offer the foundations on which Slovenian readers build an understanding of this culture, the interest for it and the readiness to cooperate with individuals, enterprises and institutions inside of it. It is precisely literary study and its descriptions of the complex experience of being, based on scientific-theoretical and historical analysis and self-reflexion importantly contribute to coherence, self-reflexivity, stability and cooperation between all social actors. Humanist thought has in numerous circumstances always taken the leading role. From a discursive-historical aspect it is literature that importantly participates in the constitution and the changing of culture and society. In Slovenia too, literature has proven to be a linking and state-forming element, which is why it is all the more important to dedicate ourselves to research in the context of intercultural and literary studies and thus strengthen the idea of intercultural communication on all the levels in all the various relationships (minority-majority, small-big, small-small, central-peripheral, subculture and predominant culture). Literature is a multi-layered phenomenon, which qualitatively and quantitatively help to form individual, cultural and national identity. As the role of belles-lettres is marginalized throughout Europe, the monopoly of technological media, however, changes the reader’s profile into a searcher of internet data, it is necessary to give back literature and literary history an adequate place in society. We must know, and use it to our own advantage, that communication today takes place through mass media, especially electronic ones, which questions the existence of a classic book form and its public; on the other hand the very age of digital literacy open up numerous new possibilities, since literature, scientific findings and ideas reach the final consumer much earlier than in the past. Along with that an increasing connectedness opens up Slovenian cultural space to new, less known cultures and literatures, thus increases the knowledge of these new fields between Slovenian users and creates fertile ground for cooperation also on other levels and in other fields. The social importance of the research programme is in the intertwining of the topics of interculturality, literary and cultural transfer in the study processes at universities at home and abroad, and the profiling of Slovenian inter- and transcultural identity. The researchers will present their findings at home and internationally, for they actively participate in international discussions about relevant themes and thus contribute to (the qualitatively best and cheapest) promotion of Slovenia in European research space. They share their knowledge about other cultures in Slovenian space and strengthen the intercultural competences of Slovenian recipients. This has positive effects in contacts with foreign partners in the cultural, technical and economic level and diplomacy, which contributes to the solidification of inter-state cooperation and also to the knowledge of otherness, and the strengthening of tolerance and acceptance.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
2012,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
2012,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
