The emigration of Istrian Italians after the Second World War, most often called the “Exodus”, has been a frequent topic of many historical and anthropological studies. This paper reports on new ...findings based on the EU project Identity on the Line, which studied and interpreted a series of involuntary migrations and unwanted consequences for peoples, communities and individuals in Europe in the middle of the 20th century. In the research of the Istrian “Exodus”, an effort was made to find new testimonies and stories and reach voices that had not been “heard” thus far. In this process, it became obvious that the status and fate of the Istrian Italians who did not emigrate, the so-called “Rimasti” (less studied so far) is very complex due to the ambivalent relationship with the emigrated Istrian Italians (the “Esuli”) as well as with the newly created social environment. Photographs and statements from both communities were collected and meant to be used for two exhibitions, films and publications, thus bringing to light their intimate accounts (some of which were told for the first time), presenting them in a public space. This transformation necessarily implied very careful and sensitive cooperation with the informants, with the aim of making their traumas more visible, as well as establishing museums as institutions where increased efforts are made to communicate “difficult heritage”.
Iseljavanje, odnosno egzodus istarskih Talijana u razdoblju nakon Drugog svjetskog rata dosad je često bio predmetom istraživanja mnogih povjesničara i antropologa. Ta je tema ponovo aktualizirana zahvaljujući EU projektu Identity on the Line u okviru kojeg je istraživan i interpretiran niz nedobrovoljnih migracija i njihovih neželjenih posljedica za određene narode, zajednice i pojedince u Europi sredinom 20. stoljeća. U istraživanju istarskog egzodusa nastojalo se doći do novih iskaza, doprijeti do glasova koji se dosad nisu čuli. U tom procesu došli su do izražaja i kompleksni status i sudbina istarskih Talijana koji nisu iselili, tzv. rimasta, čiji je suodnos s iseljenim istarskim Talijanima (esulima) kao i s novonastalom društvenom okolinom bio izuzetno složen, a ujedno predstavlja i najmanje istražen aspekt ovog fenomena. Fotografije i iskazi jednih i drugih trebali su u konačnici poslužiti kao građa predstavljena u dvjema izložbama, filmovima i publikacijama i time izložiti intimne sadržaje (od kojih su neki prvi put izrečeni) javnom prostoru. Takvo je prevođenje svakako podrazumijevalo vrlo opreznu i osjetljivu suradnju s informatorima, s ciljem da njihove traume postanu vidljivije, a tako i muzeji kao institucije u kojima se sve više nastoji komunicirati i tzv. teška baština.
Contextualising Austrian sources dating from 1867 until the end of World War I, this paper gives a critical overview of historical texts about the culture of Istria. By the mid-19th century and ...towards its end, ethnology, the so-called Volkskunde started to be promoted and emphasised by the very leadership of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy as important in the definition and production of State culture, and was then implemented on the level of ethnographic collection, both objects and in the form of writings about traditional life. Such an approach to ethnology in Austria was embodied in the personage of the Crown Prince himself and implemented by Michael Haberlandt, founder of the Vienna Ethnographic Museum. However, this view of Istria was preceded by the work of the statistician, Karl Freiherr von Czoernig, published as early as the mid-19th century. It is asserted that these three writers created basic stereotypical constructs which became the formal framework for all evaluation of Istrian culture.
The role of a regional ethnographic museum is considered, whose professionals are aware of the fact that today, when interpreting culture in a museum, one should take into account local voices, i.e. ...the view from within. However, some community representatives have influential, yet individual and personal ways of interpreting local culture in question, that can differ from the other community members views, and especially from the ethnographer’s conclusion. Some other communities invent new traditions. In the text, two such examples from Istria are described. Various approaches are discussed on how ethnographers that interpret source communities should act and what dilemmas arise in such situations.
The author advocates the use of the phrase “intangible culture” instead of “intangible cultural heritage”. The word “heritage” implies a certain fixity and immutability, and assumes that authorities ...have identified and proclaimed heritage. Dealing with intangible culture would provide the opportunity for the deflection of the UNESCO model of preserving intangible cultural phenomena, whose application has brought some problems. The author illustrates this in practice with the example of bell-ringers, who are included on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The author advocates the use of the phrase `intangible culture' instead of `intangible cultural heritage'. The word `heritage' implies a certain fixity and immutability, and assumes that authorities ...have identified and proclaimed heritage. Dealing with intangible culture would provide the opportunity for the deflection of the UNESCO model of preserving intangible cultural phenomena, whose application has brought some problems. The author illustrates this in practice with the example of bell-ringers, who are included on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Reprinted by permission of the publisher
The author advocates the use of the phrase intangible culture instead of intangible cultural heritage. The word heritage implies a certain fixity and immutability, and assumes that authorities have ...identified and proclaimed heritage. Dealing with intangible culture would provide the opportunity for the deflection of the UNESCO model of preserving intangible cultural phenomena, whose application has brought some problems. The author illustrates this in practice with the example of bell-ringers, who are included on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Reprinted by permission of the publisher
Autorica se zalaže za uporabu sintagme "nematerijalna kulturna baština". Riječ "baština" podrazumijeva određenu fiksnost i nepromjenjivost te pretpostavlja da su određeni autoriteti prepoznali i ...imenovali baštinu. Fokus na nematerijalnu kulturu pružio bi i šansu za otklon od UNECSO-ovog modela očuvanja nematerijalnih kulturnih fenomena, čija primjena donosi i određene probleme. Kako se oni iskazuju u praksi autorica je ilustrirala primjerom zvončara koji su uvršteni na UNESCO-ovu Reprezentativnu listu nematerijalne kulturne baštine čovječanstva.
This article by S. Božić-Vrbančić reviews some of the discourse theory approaches to the identity issues and their implications for analysis of European identity. There is a great wealth of ...literature on European identity and the article concentrates on those works that cover topics on "European culture" (issues on "language", "multiculturalism", "heritage", "belonging", "boundaries", "identification"). In reviewing these approaches, the author reasserts the value of synthesis between Ernesto Laclau"s discourse theory and Lacan"s thought as elaborated by Slavoj Zizek in the analysis of processes of identification in contemporary Europe. The theme is discussed by Jasna Čapo Žmegač, Lidija Nikočević, Jadranka Grbić and Vedrana Spajić-Vrkaš.
The role of a regional ethnographic museum is considered, whose professionals are aware of the fact that today, when interpreting culture in a museum, one should take into account local voices, i.e. ...the view from within. However, some community representatives have influential, yet individual and personal ways of interpreting local culture in question, that can differ from the other community members views, and especially from the ethnographer's conclusion. Some other communities invent new traditions. In the text, two such examples from Istria are described. Various approaches are discussed on how ethnographers that interprete source communities should act and what dillemas arise in such situations. Reprinted by permission of the publisher
