Internet tools have been used by migrants and their descendants within transnational social spaces to learn about ethnicity and culture; preserve, and/or strengthen ethnic/cultural identities; and maintain social ties with countries of origin and other expatriates. Ethnic clubs and expatriate societies have largely moved to the virtual world, and Slovenian case is not an exception. Learning about Slovenian culture and language on the internet was first enabled by emigrant communities through static web pages that also serve as tools for conservation of Slovenian national and cultural heritage. But more participation of Slovenians has been observed on virtual social networks, such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube, that are less exclusive, more interactional and attract especially younger generations of Slovenian migrants and individuals of Slovenian descend. Based on an extensive analysis of web pages, portals and social networks where Slovenian emigrants learn and discuss the variety of themes connected with Slovenian culture, the authors argue that shared meanings are not necessarily communicated and negotiated within the frame of a single language, and that learning about cultural heritage and contemporary lifestyles through discussions in social networks is an efficient and popular form of informal learning. The article is in the category: 1A2 (Z1, A', A1/2); Scopus (d,h), MBP.
COBISS.SI-ID: 36495917
The article is a result of empirical research among Slovenian cultural societies in other republics of the former Yugoslavia. The central part of the article presents the results of a survey carried out in the spring of 2012 by members of the Slovenian Migration Institute at ZRC SAZU in the context of the research project entitled “Slovenian Labour Migration to the Countries of Former Yugoslavia: from Settlers to Transmigrants”. General introductory data about the past and current presence of Slovenians in the discussed territories are followed by a summary of the findings based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the survey results as well as the findings of the informative-strategic roundtables co-organised by the Institute at the time of the survey. The article is in the category 1A2 (Z1, A', A1/2); indexed in: Scopus (d,h), SSCI, MBP
COBISS.SI-ID: 35516973
The territory of the former Yugoslavia, both first and second, is unique with respect to the other environments to which Slovenes have emigrated. In the past, this was just the broader homeland and the Slovene one of the “indigenous” languages that were spoken within it. Slovenes living in the Yugoslav area outside Slovenia in the common Yugoslav spirit didn’t pay attention to their national identity, and thus also didn’t create a special attitude towards their language. It therefore slowly disappeared from their everyday lives. They realized the importance of maintaining the Slovene language as one of the fundamental signs of Slovenian identity just after the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the declaration of independence of Slovenia in 1991. So they began to establish associations that nowadays play not just the role of facilitator, but also promoter of learning and using the Slovene language among members. This is becoming a challenge especially for young people, third and sometimes fourth generation emigrants, for whom it is mostly a foreign language, but they choose to learn it because it creates opportunities for them to study and work in Slovenia. The article is in the category 1A2 (Z1, A', A1/2); indexed in: Scopus (d,h), SSCI, MBP.
COBISS.SI-ID: 35986221