Izvorni znanstveni članak
Some Thoughts Regarding Research on Local Notions of the Nation in the Valley of the Upper Kolpa/Kupa after Establishment of the Slovenian-Croatian State Border
Duška Knežević Hočevar
; Znanstvenoraziskovalni center Slovenske akademije znanosti in umetnosti Inštitut za medicinske vede, Ljubljana, Slovenija
Sažetak
Today, in part of the discussion on ethnicity and nationalism, more and more attention is being given to the specific European situation “after the fall of the Berlin wall”, i.e. to the problem of new international borders in the former socialist countries of Europe. Namely, border areas offer a particular perspective from which to examine social processes, ranging from deterritorialisation to the strengthening of territoritorial borders, which in border areas manifest themselves in a particular way. Given national entities in border areas certainly most explicitly express their relationships with neighbouring territorial communities, as they maintain, for the most part, feelings of social differentiation, both as sameness and as difference from the core or majority population in their own “nation states”. The author of the paper examines one such area, i.e. the border zone determined by the new international border between Slovenia and Croatia (1991). The text briefly presents some of the most important results of two field studies, conducted by the author in 1993 and 1996, aimed at examining the awareness of national identity among the upper Kolpa/Kupa valley population, and the ways in which this was managed both prior and after establishment of the international border. The author was motivated to make such a study primarily by contradictory explanations in regard to the most fitting nature of the new border that were in the centre of focus from the early 1990s – the majority of which were also noted in the mass media. Among the various explanations on the nature of the border, she recognised two extremes – on the one hand, were supporters of the idea of “Europe without borders”, and on the other hand defenders of the demand for an “impermeable border” against the possible threat from the Balkan area. Similarly, the author recognised opposed views in the clearly contradictory relationship of the border population in the upper Kolpa/Kupa valley towards the new international border. This was most aptly expressed by the statement that “before the 1991 border [they were] one people, and now they are divided”. Yet the river Kolpa/Kupa has already divided them for five centuries and, furthermore, it is clear that “for a long time already” they have viewed themselves either as Kranjci (=Carniolans)/Slovenes or Gorani/Croats. Therefore, the author saw the main problem in determining the motivating event linked to the “new awareness” among the valley population. The results of both field studies showed that, despite different time perspectives (1993, 1996), the establishment of the 1991 border was the determinative event that motivated locally defined national awareness.
Ključne riječi
border; Slovenian-Croatian border; life histories; social awareness; border locations; mobile identity; feeling of belonging
Hrčak ID:
107958
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.6.2000.
Posjeta: 1.255 *