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The Weight of the past. Heritage of the Multicultural Area: Case Study of Gottschee

Description

Kočevska (Gottschee) stands out among Slovenian regions for its specific, and often tragic history. Two cultures - Slovene and German - co-existed there until the resettlement of the Gottscheer Germans to the German Reich in 1941/42 on the basis of an agreement between Hitler and Mussolini. After the World War II new immigrants from other Slovene regions as well as from Yugoslav republics moved to the emptied Gottscheer villages. Even today Kočevska is a crossroads of cultures. Besides a handful of Gottscheers who did not emigrate during the war, there is a traditional Roma community and some of the immigrant communities (Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks). After the war, the traces of the German presence in the Kočevska region were forcibly removed for nationalistic and ideological reasons, which led to the destruction of most of the churches, chapels and religious landmarks. Part of Kočevska belonged to the so-called closed-off military area. There, freedom of movement was restricted, sacral facilities were removed, the remaining inhabitants were expelled and strict silence was ordered. In addition, until the mid-1950s, three penal camps were located in the closed-off area, and the Kočevska forests became the scene of mass killings or the authorities' altercation with political opponents. It was not until 1990 that the first conciliatory mass was held at the site of the mass graves. The difficult heritage of the Kočevska region was suppressed and forgotten. However, the tragic historical events and their consequences still influence how both groups - former and present inhabitants - understand the (common) cultural heritage

The case study of Kočevska, a former multilingual area, examines the changes in the presentation and use of cultural heritage. It focuses on three turning points: the end of World War I and the emergence of the Yugoslav state, which brought about a change in majority-minority relations in the Kočevska region; the post-conflict period after the end of World War II, when the ethnic (linguistic) structure of the population changed due to the transfer of the "German" population and the influx of economic migrants from other regions and Yugoslav republics; and finally, the period of accession to the European Union after Slovenia's independence.

The research will focus on understanding and preserving the multi-ethnic cultural heritage of the Kočevska region, its representations and reinterpretations in the past and present of the Kočevska region, as well as in Gottscheer emigrant communities around the world. It will also shed light on the consequences that the interrupted continuity of settlement and the change in the population structure (i.e. the lack of a common identity of the post-war migrants) have on the present-day inhabitants and development of the Kočevska region. As part of the project, we will study the lives of postwar migrants in an area with a difficult legacy (the legacy of an "absent" neighbor, the sites of postwar massacres, penal camps, a sealed-off military area). The study will also shed light on the connection between the difficult heritage of the Kočevska region, the relationship between Germans and Slovenes in Slovenia, and the national (political) discourse, without ignoring the considerations of national reconciliation that have divided the Slovenian (political) space for decades.

The research will contribute to understanding the role of cultural heritage in the construction of identities at different times and under different political circumstances. It will provide an understanding of the past and enrich the view of changes and appreciation of heritage. By examining the attitudes of the inhabitants of the traumatized area towards their own heritage and the heritage of the "Other," it will provide insight into the strategies of the area's inhabitants (new and old) in confronting the troubled past, which is particularly relevant in the modern world facing wars and migration crises.

 

The research work will be carried out in three research sections (RS):

RS1: Heritage as a tool for the emancipation of a minority?: after the end of World War I

RS2: Coping with the heritage of an absent neighbour and tragic secrets: 1945–1990

RS3: A step towards heritage revitalisation and reconciliation?: 1991 – present day


Project Stages

The project is divided into five parallel work packages (WPs). Each WP has a leader (LWP) who is responsible for thesuccessful implementation of the activities.

WP1: Project management (months 1 – 36) (LWP Anja Moric)

WP1 is intended to ensure the implementation of the project and address any unforeseen situations that may occur during implementation.

WP2: Heritage as a tool for emancipation of a minority? (months 2-24) (LWP Marija Klobčar)

WP2 relates to RS1. Using the method of critical discourse analysis and reviewing of archival sources, newspapers and books, we will determine how heritagisation contributed to the self-differentiation of the Gottscheercommunity and to the polarisation of intercultural relations in Kočevska region after the World War I. Furthermore, we will analyse various presentations of heritage in Kočevska region at that time.

WP3: From the heritage of an absent neighbour to tragic secrests (months 2-24) (LWP Anja Moric)

WP3 is in substance associated with RS2. Fieldwork will be carried out in Slovenia (in the wider Kočevska area) and abroad at locations where Gottscheer communities are present: the USA, Austria, Canada, Germany. Here interviews will be conducted and ethnographic video material will be recorded. An overview of the museums and private collections that hold the Gottscheer heritage will be prepared (listed under objectives) as well as a review of the state archives to clarify the situation of the (Gottscheer) German minority.

WP4: Step towards heritage revitalisation and reconciliation? (months 2-24) (LWP Alenka Bartulović)

WP4 is associated with RS3. An analysis of the relationship of local and national politics to the cultural heritage of the Kočevje Germans in the Kočevska region after Slovenia's independence. Research of the contents presented by NGOs as Gottscheers heritage. Interviews will be conducted with representatives of the Gottscheer societies orNGOs in the field of heritage conservation in the Kočevska region, representatives of local communities, post-warimmigrants, and participant’s observation at different locations throughout the wider Kočevska area. Analysis of reconciliation ceremonies and discourse.

WP5: Synthesis of research findings and theoretisation (months 25-36) (LWP Marjetka Golež Kaučič)

Within the context of WP5, the fieldwork will be completed, the collected material will be critically evaluated and placed in an epistemological-interpretative framework.

WP6: Dissemination (months 1–36) (WLP Anja Serec Hodžar)

Dissemination of the research findings will include the professional and general public. A website will be set up with a description and the results of the project, as well as a page on social media (Facebook). Lectures (presumably at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana) will be organised, at which (some) project results will be presented. In addition, individual findings will be prepared for publication in scientific publications (a planned number oforiginal scientific articles accepted for publication: 4-6; possible peer-reviewed academic publications: Traditiones, Glasnik SED, Etnolog). Participation at international conferences. Blog post atwww.kocevskibrlog.com = www.gottscheerblog.com.

In the 15th month of the project, we will organise a national symposium on dissonant heritage, with theparticipation of project members and Slovenian experts in the field of heritage. In the 35th month of the project, an international conference on cultural heritage in multicultural areas will take place. Members of the project team and Slovenian experts and researchers from abroad will be invited to participate. At the event, we will present theresults of the project to both experts and the general public. Proceedings (editorial board) of an international conference with 8–10 papers. Possibility of preparing a video presentation of the results and/or a monograph.


Results

Scientific articles:

KLOBČAR, Marija. Prezrti zgodovinski kontekst izročila o kralju Matjažu. Studia mythologica Slavica. [Tiskana izd.]. 2023, [št.] 26, str. 121-143, ilustr. ISSN 1408-6271. https://ojs.zrc-sazu.si/sms/article/view/13155, DOI: 10.3986/SMS20232604. [COBISS.SI-ID 159838723]

 

Contributions at conferences:

BEJTULLAHU, Alma, BARTULOVIĆ, Alenka. The multipart musical heritage of Albanians and its resonance in Slovenia. V: CARUSO, Fulvia (ur.). Programme and abstracts. 7th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group for Multipart Music, Cremona, 4-8 September 2023. [S. l.: s. n., 2023]. Str. 27. [COBISS.SI-ID 166032387]

BARTULOVIĆ, Alenka. O albanski dediščini v Sloveniji : razmislek o prezrti temi. V: MORIC, Anja (ur.), SEREC HODŽAR, Anja (ur.), GOLEŽ KAUČIČ, Marjetka (ur.). Težavna dediščina in težave z dediščino na Kočevskem : posvet v okviru projekta Teža preteklosti. Dediščina večkulturnega območja: primer Kočevje : program in povzetki : 6. marec 2024, Ljubljana, Slovenija. 1. elektronska izd. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU, 2024. Str. 9. ISBN 978-961-05-0839-7. https://gni.zrc-sazu.si/sites/default/files/Tezavna_dediscina_in_tezave_z_dediscino_na_Kocevskem.pdf. [COBISS.SI-ID 188438019]

GOLEŽ KAUČIČ, Marjetka. Kočevarske in slovenske balade : kulturno in jezikovno prežemanje. V: MORIC, Anja (ur.), SEREC HODŽAR, Anja (ur.), GOLEŽ KAUČIČ, Marjetka (ur.). Težavna dediščina in težave z dediščino na Kočevskem : posvet v okviru projekta Teža preteklosti. Dediščina večkulturnega območja: primer Kočevske : program in povzetki : 6. marec 2024, Ljubljana, Slovenija. 1. elektronska izd. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, 2024. Str. 10. ISBN 978-961-05-0839-7. https://gni.zrc-sazu.si/sites/default/files/Tezavna_dediscina_in_tezave_z_dediscino_na_Kocevskem.pdf. [COBISS.SI-ID 190450435]

GRAFENAUER, Danijel. Historische Traumata überwinden? : wie können die historischen Traumata und die ideologischen und politischen Unterschiede überwunden werden? = Stara nasprotja, nove zgodovinske slike : kako preseči zgodovinske traume in ideološke ter politične razlike? Ustvarjati skupno kulturo spominjanja in spodbujati čezmejni odprt ter vključujoči dialog. V: MÖLZER, Andreas (ur.), STURM, Marjan (ur.). ʺVom Schlachtfeld zur Friedensregionʺ : der Alpen-Adria-Raum als europäisches Modell. Klagenfurt: Kärntner Heimatdienst, cop. 2023. Str. 81-86, 87-91. ISBN 978-3-950-5389-22. [COBISS.SI-ID 150514179]

KLOBČAR, Marija. The ethnographic value of the archive of the Slovenian collection of the program "Das Volkslied in Österreich" (Austrian folk songs) : prispevek na mednarodni znanstveni konferenci in delavnici "Ethnological heritage in the archives: diverse contexts in Central and Southeastern Europe", Institut für deutsche Kultur und Geschichte Südosteuropas, LMU München, 12. december 2023. [COBISS.SI-ID 181337347]

KLOBČAR, Marija. Teža preteklosti v kočevarskem pesemskem izročilu. V: MORIC, Anja (ur.), SEREC HODŽAR, Anja (ur.), GOLEŽ KAUČIČ, Marjetka (ur.). Težavna dediščina in težave z dediščino na Kočevskem : posvet v okviru projekta Teža preteklosti. Dediščina večkulturnega območja: primer Kočevske : program in povzetki : 6. marec 2024, Ljubljana, Slovenija. 1. elektronska izd. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, 2024. Str. 12. ISBN 978-961-05-0839-7. https://gni.zrc-sazu.si/sites/default/files/Tezavna_dediscina_in_tezave_z_dediscino_na_Kocevskem.pdf. [COBISS.SI-ID 190452739]

MORIC, Anja. Difficulties with heritage in the Kočevska region (Gottschee) : shared heritage, heritage of a (hidden) minority or migration heritage?. V: ROGELJA CAF, Nataša (ur.), et al. Heritage on the margins? Central and Eastern European perspectives : book of abstracts : the 1st conference of Association of Critical Heritage Studies (ACHS), Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) Chapter : Ljubljana, Slovenia, 29-30 November 2023. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU, 2023. Str. 19-20. ISBN 978-961-05-0786-4. [COBISS.SI-ID 177822211]

MORIC, Anja. Revival of Gottscheer folk songs. V: Song genres in social and cultural contexts : 51st International Conference of Kommission für Volksdichtung (KfV) : Helsinki, Finland, 29th May - 2nd June 2023 : abstracts. Helsinki: [s. n.], 2023. Str. 21. https://www.finlit.fi/sites/default/files/mediafiles/kfv_2023_abstracts.pdf. [COBISS.SI-ID 156436483]

MORIC, Anja. Kaj s težavno dediščino? : prispevek na posvetu "80 let Baze 20 v luči celovitega varovanja in ohranjanja ter predstavljanja naravne in kulturne dediščine Kočevskega roga - izzivi in dileme", Dolenjske Toplice, 15. junij 2023. [COBISS.SI-ID 156430851]

MORIC, Anja. A little here, a little there : collections of postcards and photographs from the Kočevska (Gottschee) Region between Slovenia, Austria and Germany : prispevek na mednarodni znanstveni konferenci in delavnici "Ethnological heritage in the archives: diverse contexts in Central and Southeastern Europe", Institut für deutsche Kultur und Geschichte Südosteuropas, LMU München, 12. december 2023. [COBISS.SI-ID 181298179]

MORIC, Anja (urednik), SEREC HODŽAR, Anja (urednik), GOLEŽ KAUČIČ, Marjetka (urednik). Težavna dediščina in težave z dediščino na Kočevskem : posvet v okviru projekta Teža preteklosti. Dediščina večkulturnega območja: primer Kočevske : program in povzetki : 6. marec 2024, Ljubljana, Slovenija. 1. elektronska izd. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, 2024. 1 spletni vir (1 datoteka PDF (19 str.)). ISBN 978-961-05-0839-7. https://gni.zrc-sazu.si/sites/default/files/Tezavna_dediscina_in_tezave_z_dediscino_na_Kocevskem.pdf. [COBISS.SI-ID 186934787]

REPIČ, Jaka. Množična grobišča : antropološki pristopi in perspektive. V: MORIC, Anja (ur.), SEREC HODŽAR, Anja (ur.), GOLEŽ KAUČIČ, Marjetka (ur.). Težavna dediščina in težave z dediščino na Kočevskem : posvet v okviru projekta Teža preteklosti. Dediščina večkulturnega območja: primer Kočevske : program in povzetki : 6. marec 2024, Ljubljana, Slovenija. 1. elektronska izd. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, 2024. Str. 16. ISBN 978-961-05-0839-7. https://gni.zrc-sazu.si/sites/default/files/Tezavna_dediscina_in_tezave_z_dediscino_na_Kocevskem.pdf. [COBISS.SI-ID 188450563]

REPIČ, Jaka. Thinking trough the dead. V: In community with things : master CREOLE intensive program 2023, organized by the Institute of social anthropology, University of Bern, 11.-17. 6. 2023. Bern: University of Bern, 2023. Str. 21. [COBISS.SI-ID 168071939]

SEREC HODŽAR, Anja. The Gottschee Region in the archive of the Institute of Ethnomusicology ZRC SAZU : prispevek na mednarodni znanstveni konferenci in delavnici "Ethnological heritage in the archives: diverse contexts in Central and Southeastern Europe", Institut für deutsche Kultur und Geschichte Südosteuropas, LMU München, 12. december 2023. [COBISS.SI-ID 181328387]

SEREC HODŽAR, Anja. Kočevska v arhivu Glasbenonarodopisnega inštituta ZRC SAZU. V: MORIC, Anja (ur.), SEREC HODŽAR, Anja (ur.), GOLEŽ KAUČIČ, Marjetka (ur.). Težavna dediščina in težave z dediščino na Kočevskem : posvet v okviru projekta Teža preteklosti. Dediščina večkulturnega območja: primer Kočevske : program in povzetki : 6. marec 2024, Ljubljana, Slovenija. 1. elektronska izd. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, 2024. Str. 18. ISBN 978-961-05-0839-7. https://gni.zrc-sazu.si/sites/default/files/Tezavna_dediscina_in_tezave_z_dediscino_na_Kocevskem.pdf. [COBISS.SI-ID 190457091]

 

Popular article:

MORIC, Anja (avtor, fotograf). Obnova objekta "svinjska kuhinja" = Renovierung der Fütterküche = Renovation of the feed kitchen. Bakh : glasilo Društva Kočevarjev staroselcev. dec. 2022, letn. 25, št. 29, str. 29-30, ilustr. ISSN 2463-7882. [COBISS.SI-ID 141353219]

 

Review:

MORIC, Anja. Lela B. Njatin (ur.): Lokalitetno v identiteti: deset let priznanja občine Kočevje Deklica s piščalko : občina Kočevje, Kočevje 2020, 133 str. Glasnik Slovenskega etnološkega društva. [Tiskana izd.]. 2023, 63, št. 1, str. 99-100, ilustr. ISSN 0351-2908. [COBISS.SI-ID 181844483]

 

Other components:

GRAFENAUER, Danijel. Nemško govoreča skupnost : razmislek o različnosti v regiji Alpe-Adria = German-speaking community : reflection on the diversity in the Alpe-Adria region = Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft : Nachdenken über Unterschiedlichkeiten in der Alpe-Adria-Region. Kočevski b(r)log. 20. 1. 2024. ISSN 2712-4274. https://www.kocevskibrlog.com/nemsko-govoreca-skupnost-razmislek-o-razlicnosti-v-regiji-alpe-adria/. [COBISS.SI-ID 191519747]

 

Interview:

GRAFENAUER, Danijel (intervjuvanec). Maloštevilni, razpršeni, neavtohtoni "Nemci" imajo zelo ambiciozne zahteve : Danijel Grafenauer. Delo, Sobotna priloga. [Tiskana izd.]. 15. jul. 2023, leto 65, št. 162, ilustr. ISSN 0350-7521, ISSN 1580-3007. [COBISS.SI-ID 159600387]

MORIC, Anja (intervjuvanec). Kočevarščino pri nas govori le še kakšnih pet ljudi. Večer. [Tiskana izd.]. 10. jul. 2023, 79, [št.] 157, str. 10-11, ilustr. ISSN 0350-4972. [COBISS.SI-ID 181262083]

 

Lectures:

MORIC, Anja. Identifikacije Kočevarjev : med izseljenstvom in (skrito) manjšino : predavanje pri predmetu Etnologija Slovenije 1 na Oddelku za etnologijo in kulturno antropologijo FF UL, 28. november 2022. [COBISS.SI-ID 131450371]

 

Radio or TV show, podcast, interview, press conference:

ILIĆ, Angela, MORIC, Anja. Preserving the visual heritage of historical Gottschee. München: Institut für deutsche Kultur und Geschichte Südosteuropas, 2024. 1 spletni vir (1 zvočna datoteka (23 min, 24 sek)). Zwischengrenzen, Donauwellen. https://zwischengrenzen.online/preserving-the-visual-heritage-of-historical-gottschee/. [COBISS.SI-ID 191471619]

 

Exhibition:

MORIC, Anja (avtor razstave). Društvo Kočevarjev - staroselcev : otvoritev stalne razstave etnološke zbirke in pešpoti po sadovnjaku starih sadnih sort, Občice, 18. september 2023. [COBISS.SI-ID 191616515]

MORIC, Anja (avtor razstave). Otvoritev prenovljene svinjske kuhinje : razstava etnološke zbirke ob prenovi objekta, Stara cerkev, 13. oktober 2022. [COBISS.SI-ID 141353731]

 

Mentoring:

MORIC, Anja (avtor, mentor), ŽIGON, Tanja (avtor, mentor), PRIMEC, Primož, PIPAN, Pika, RAJH PLOHL, Jana (avtor, fotograf), SLAPNIK, Gaja, VEČKO, Kaja, VRABL, Klara. Društvo Kočevarjev - staroselcev : etnološka zbirka in sadovnjak starih sadnih sort. Dolenjske Toplice: Društvo Kočevarjev - staroselcev, 2023. 1 zgibanka ([6] str.), ilustr. [COBISS.SI-ID 191616259]

 

A stand-alone scientific paper or a chapter in a monographic publication:

MÁTÉ, Gábor (avtor, fotograf), MORIC, Anja (avtor, fotograf). Dehumanizing and rehumanizing the countryside : a comparative study of a Hungarian and a Slovenian region (Baranya, Kočevska, 1945–2022). V: BARTULOVIĆ, Alenka (ur.), et al. Rethinking urban-rural relations/migrations in Central-Europe : the case of Slovenia and Hungary. 1st e-ed. Pécs: Department of European Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Pécs, 2022. Str. 55-73, ilustr. Pnekat working papers, no. 3. ISBN 978-963-626-100-9. ISSN 2939-5593. https://journals.lib.pte.hu/index.php/pnekat/article/view/6231/5944, DOI: 10.15170/PNEKATWP.2022.03. [COBISS.SI-ID 141273347]

 


Research Project

Research Fields
Sociology S210
Cultural anthropology, ethnology S220