The article researches the subjective perception of migration, the reasons for emigration and the conditions for return, and the perception of homeland by recent emigrants from Slovenia. Since the ...2008–2015 economic crisis, there has been a strong stream of net emigration and brain drain from Slovenia. By means of semi-structured interviews with recent emigrants, we found out that their prevailing reasons for migration were economic, their view of the selected location pragmatic, and their subjective perception of homeland mostly reduced to the narrow social network and world of everyday life. Only a smaller part of the interviewees identifies itself with Slovenia as an organised cultural and political space. Therefore, under the condition of the free movement of labour within the EU and a semi-peripheral position of the Slovene economy, new waves of net emigration from Slovenia can be expected in the future, especially in periods of economic crises.
Članek raziskuje subjektivno percepcijo lastnega migrantstva, razloge za odselitev in pogoje za vrnitev ter pojmovanje domovine pri nedavnih izseljencih iz Slovenije. Zlasti od gospodarske krize ...2008-2015 beležimo močan neto izselitveni tok in beg možganov. S polstrUkturiranimi intervjuji z nedavnimi izseljenci smo ugotovili, da pri njih prevladujejo ekonomski razlogi za migriranje in pragmatično stališče do lokacije bivanja ter da je v njihovi subjektivni konstrukciji domovina večinoma skrčena na najožji socialni krog in svet vsakdanjega življenja, le manjši del pa se jih identificira s Slovenijo kot organiziranim kulturnim in političnim prostorom. V razmerah prostega pretoka delovne sile v EU in polperifernosti slovenskega gospodarstva lahko zato pričakujemo nadaljnje valove neto izseljevanja, ki bodo intenzívnejší v obdobjih gospodarskih kriz.
The first Slovenian emigrants realized soon after their arrival to the USA that in the event of work accidents or disease they depended solely on themselves. For this reason they started to found ...their own benefit societies, following the example of other nationalities (e.g. the Czechs, the Finns). At first these were of a local character with a limited number of members, which did not guarantee enough financial safety. In order to decrease the possibility of a financial break down, they started to found benefit societies which united members of the same ethnical group throughout the whole country. The first Slovenian fraternal benefit society called the Carniolian Slovenian Catholic Society (“Kranjsko slovenska katoliška jednota” in Slovene, abbrev. KSKJ) was founded in Joliet (Illinois) in 1894. It was founded by Slovenian Catholic priests in the USA, who often encountered the misery and helplessness of victims of accidents and their families. The society functioned according to strict Catholic principles. Its ideological orientation was expressed in the name itself, and St. Joseph was chosen as its patron saint. All the local societies were also mostly named after saints. The basic aim of the fraternal benefit society was to help the members or their families in the event of death, while the additional activity was to provide health insurance. However, the organization also cultivated other important values, such as the Slovenian cultural tradition, the Slovenian language, and close contacts with “the old country”. The basis of fraternal benefit organizations was represented by local societies, which were active throughout all of the USA. The local society of the Carniolian Slovenian Catholic Society called St. Francis de Sales Society No. 29 was founded in Joliet (Illinois) on February 2, 1896. It was already the fourth local society of the KSKJ in the town of Joliet. The reasons for the setting up of a new society came from the dissatisfaction of important members of imigrant communities with the work of the existing societies in the town. In their opinion they were not represented high enough in the hierarchy of these societies. The fact was that the highest positions in local societies, expecially on the main board, brought not only respect, but also financial benefits. Thus it is not surprising that the presidency of the society was taken over by the undertaker Anton Nemanich, one of the town's wealthiest Slovenian imigrants and cofounder of the KSKJ. Nemanich's rise in the KSKJ started in 1896, the same year when he was, at the third convention, elected to the position of the chief president of the KSKJ. This started a period of more than 20 years in which the members of this local society held the most important positions in the KSKJ. The duties of the members of the KSKJ included the rules of both their local society and the rules of the main organization. They had to attend the society meetings, particularly when there were elections for the members of the board, and regularly pay assessment. According to the rules, the society had to provide for a respectable funeral of their members, including escort by men in uniform and society banners. In addition to this, their members had to visit their sick colleagues. An important way of raising money for the local societies was through the organization of dances. If the members failed to fulfill their duties, they were fined. The societies often recieved invitations to various ceremonies organized by Slovene imigrants, which they gladly accepted. The regular monthly meetings of the local societies started with a Mass, while the daily meetings were opened and closed by the presiding member with a prayer. The members of the KSKJ had to go to confession and receive Holy Communion at least once a year. The society was in general closely connected with the Slovenian parish of St. Joseph. Local societies had a very important charity function. They received pleas for help by various empoverished Slovenian imigrants, not rarely by other local societies. They were very successful in attaining new members, since their monthly meetings regularly brought the inclusion of new members. St. Francis de Sales Society No. 29 was among the most successful in this activity. The society was among the winners of the competition for attracting new members more than 10 times. St. Francis de Sales Society No. 29 was neither the oldest nor the largest local society of the KSKJ, but it was one of the most influential. Its members held the highest positions in the main organization. In this way they had a significant influence on the politics of the KSKJ in the most important phase of its existence, when it developed from a small and financially unstable fraternal benefit organization into a modern insurance company. The society has over a hundred years successfully continued to carry out its uniting mission in the areas of religion, politics and culture.
Slovenski su doseljenici nakon dolaska u SAD ubrzo spoznali da u slučaju nesreće na radu ili bolesti mogu računati isključivo na sebe same i zato su počeli osnivati vlastita potporna društva. Prva ...slovenska bratska potporna organizacija – Kranjsko slovenska katoliška jednota (Kranjsko slovenski katolički savez) osnovan je 1894. u Jolietu (Illinois). Temelj bratskih potpornih organizacija predstavljali su odsjeci koji su djelovali širom SAD-a. Najveći broj članova Savez je okupljao u državama Illinois, Pennsylvanija, Ohio i Minnesota. Osnovna djelatnost bratskih potpornih organizacija bila je pomoć članstvu, odnosno njihovoj rodbini u slučaju smrti, a druga je djelatnost bila bolničko osiguranje. U organizaciji su njegovali i druge važne vrijednosti: slovensku kulturnu tradiciju, slovenski jezik i tijesne veze sa »starom domovinom«. Odsjek St. Francis de Sales Society No. 29 osnovan je u Jolietu (Illinois) 2. veljače 1896. On nije ni najstariji niti najveći u KSKS-u, ali je jedan od najutjecajnijih u Savezu. Članovi iz redova odsjeka zauzimali su u KSKS-u najviše položaje. Na takav su način imali odlučujući utjecaj na politiku Saveza u ključnoj fazi njegova djelovanja, kada se razvio iz male i financijski nestabilne bratske potporne organizacije u moderno osiguravajuće društvo. Savez već više od stotinu godina uspješno ispunjava svoju misiju i na području vjerskoga, nacionalnoga, političkoga i kulturnog ujedinjavanja.
Intense emigration of Slovenes to Australia, especially to Victoria State, commenced after WW I and reached its climax in the 1970s. The Slovenians in Australia are the fourth largest non-European ...immigrant community and they felt the need to organize their cultural and social life a long time ago. The article discusses one of the major and first organizations of the Slovene emigration: The Religious Centre of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Kew, Melbourne, which has for decades been providing shelter for many of the emigrants and their families. The article especially considers the educational role of the Franciscan priests. As they built a wide network of their educational activities soon after their arrival in 1955, the Centre surpassed the boundaries of a Catholic Franciscan “Mission”. Two of the most exposed goals of their religious, social and educational roles have been the preservation of the Slovene heritage and education aiming at integration of Slovene emigrants in Australian everyday’s life. Through activities of the Centre, the Slovene emigrant community managed to form an immanent and specific way in transmitting the ethnic particularities of the native country both to their younger generations and to the Australian social environment (through the monthly review “Misli”, Slovenian school, language classes, choirs, sporting and social activities, radio etc.).
Finally, as the paper is a result of a case study research including direct involvement in the research, the author tries to answer the question whether the above mentioned educational activities have lead to an establishment of a more positive relationship between the majority (Australians) and minority (Australian Slovenes) communities.
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