Projects / Programmes
Social and identity mobility in the Slovenian territory between the late Middle Ages and the disintegration of the Habsburg Monarchy
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.01.00 |
Humanities |
Historiography |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H003 |
Humanities |
History and Arts |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.01 |
Humanities |
History and Archaeology |
social mobility, identity mobility, Slovenian territory, material position, legal status, education, personal and social ties, confessions, war
Researchers (15)
Organisations (3)
Abstract
“Social and identity mobility” roughly encompasses three basic elements: 1) social mobility of individuals, communities, and groups over relatively short and long periods of time; 2) changes in their identity that are directly or indirectly related to social mobility, and 3) the mobility of collective identities as determinable over longer periods of time. All three of the listed elements are also included within so-called confessional mobility (changes in confessional affiliation), which has its own unique characteristics, and is often closely related to social or identity mobility and to the question of confessional identity as such.
The subject of the proposed research project will be the phenomena and processes accompanying or (co)constituting long-term social movements. Namely, most phenomena or processes studied within the framework of the proposed project span several centuries: some have their roots in the Middle Ages, others began to disappear in the 19th or 20th century. Tracing these processes over a longer period of time proves to be an indispensable methodological tool in gaining a deeper understanding of some of the key questions raised by such phenomena or processes.
The proposed project covers the period from about 1400 to the first few years after World War I and encompasses three thematis clusters, with the main focus on the first on. Each thematic cluster will prioritise problems and problem complexes that have proved highly deficient in previous attempts to describe individual periods, social groups, communities, and individuals.
The main objective of the proposed research project is to improve the quality and scope of the understanding of problems that are crucial for providing a comprehensive, synthetic account of the history of the Slovenian territory and have been identified as “blind spots” in Slovenian historiography. The project aims at a balanced interpretation of various periods, social segments, and the entirety of Slovenian territory, with special emphasis on border areas.
Thematic clusters and studies:
Cluster 1 – Substantive basis, legal status, education, and personal and social ties as a driving force for changes in social status and identity - 6 studies:
Study 1 – Social and identity mobility in light of the tax register for free estates – imenjska knjiga;
Study 2 – Progressive and regressive mobility of the nobility in Slovenian territory from the 15th to the 19th century;
Study 3 – The social and identity mobility of two special categories of land-owning farmers from the 15th to the 19th century – “kosezi” and freemen;
Study 4 – Social and identity mobility in urban settlements with specific non-agrarian activities up to the 20th century:
Study 5 – Intellectuals in the registers of the Ljubljana Jesuit College in light of social and identity mobility;
Study 6 – Social mobility and self-representation of high clergy members of common birth in Slovenian territory in the early modern period.
Cluster 2 – Confessional Mobility and Confessional Identity - 3 studies:
Study 7 – Confessional and identity mobility of individuals and social groups in Slovenian territory during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation;
Study 8 – The multiconfessionalism of Prekmurje as a basis for the diversity of identities in the easternmost Slovenian region;
Study 9 – Integration and adaptation of Eastern Christians and Muslims into Slovenian society from the 16th to the 19th century.
Cluster 3 – WWI – A Catalyst for Social and Identity Mobility - 3 studies:
Study 10 – Demobilization and reconstruction after the war;
Study 11 – The Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 and 1919 as a driving force for regressive and progressive social mobility;
Study 12 - The formal, legal termination of noble status in 1918 and 1919 and its consequences for the nobility in Slovenian territory.
Significance for science
The proposed study’s first defining characteristic is that it does not consider interpretations of the already known, but is based on lesser-known and unused archival and other sources. By opening new, hitherto neglected questions it attempts to fill lacunae in the thoroughness some global processes have been explored, presenting these very elements in a different light. Additionally, the project is separated from the superficial positivistic factographical approach to historiography, attempting to place the subject in question into a broader (culturological, sociological, and philosophical) reflection, which makes it interesting for establishing fertile interdisciplinary connections and creating broader (transdisciplinary) fields of research.
The interconnectedness of experts on various periods and fields of history surrounding the common problem – that of social and identity mobility – will serve as a good starting point for establishing guidelines for further intra- as well as interdisciplinary studies. The results will contribute to a synthetic portrayal of the history of Slovenian territory, to an empirically supported reflection of the inherent sociocultural processes (multifaceted factors which contribute to establishing, preserving, and changes personal and social identity), and at the same time they will facilitate the active inclusion of the researchers in international academic discourse, especially in the form of international publications and collaboration in symposia. Slovenian historiography will thus more easily engage in historiographical discourse and studies outside of national borders, and by tackling questions such as social mobility on the basis of education, the role of centres of education, and the social role of the nobility, it will achieve greater recognition in Europe. The interest in WWI and its consequences merits special emphasis, as it will be in the global spotlight for the next 5 years by virtue of the 100-year anniversary.
Given that the results of the project’s studies will be presented on a dedicated website, as well as in academic papers and a monograph upon its conclusion, we can expect much further-reaching impact on the development of historical science than if they were to be summarized merely in sparse publications in Slovenian and foreign journals. This common denominator will thus achieve much more recognition for its content, objectives, and results. In this view we can expect the project’s long-lasting importance for historical science.
Significance for the country
The research project tackles permanent social problems and processes which importantly affect human self-understanding and self-identification at both personal and social level. Based on the project’s results the content will, in addition to historical sciences, have a permanent impact on other disciplines (both humanistic and social), while the popularization of science through the media and the pedagogic processes will ensure that the study’s findings have immediate significance for informing citizens about questions of identity, which in one form or another are a mainstay in society. With appropriate research and presentation of the questions that are the subject of the proposed study, Slovenian society will catch up with other societies which already began systematically and unreservedly studying these issues decades ago.
The project’s web portal will make it possible – for both academics and the lay population – to keep track of the project group’s findings directly and in real time.
Most important scientific results
Interim report,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Interim report,
final report
