The Slovenian National Self

 The need to belong to a community has been a significant trait in our world throughout history, but the concept of national identity is a fairly modern one. With the start the industrial revolution, urbanization, mass communication, total war, and the decline of religion all played a part in creating the concept of national identity (NYT, 2018). It is impossible to create a single definition of national identity, but for the purpose of this paper, it can be described as the shared historical memories, traditions, and common culture of the citizens of a country that sets them apart from other nations. In her journal “National Identity and the ‘Other,’” author Anna Triandafyllidou asserts that in order for national identity to hold any meaning, there needs to be an “other” to contrast with (Triandafyllidou, 2010). These “significant others” are any other nation or community that is perceived as a threat to the integrity of the ingroup. Significant others can be internal, those who reside within the same territory as the ingroup, or external, a separate nation. With the existence of significant others, a nation can distinguish itself and create its own unique identity. 

An integral part in upholding the national identity of Slovenia was the separation from Yugoslavia. As a “province” of Yugoslavia, Slovenia experienced restricted autonomy with little political influence, and dampened cultural levels. Despite contributing greatly to Yugoslavia’s economy, producing 20% of its wealth and 30% of its exports while only making up 10% of the population, Slovenia was considered below the other nations culturally (Allcock, 2021). While part of a larger state, Slovenia still held onto a separate identity, priding itself on its contributions to Yugoslavia as a whole, thus the rest of the Yugoslavian states became the “other” to the Slovenian ingroup. Even after gaining independence in 1991, Slovenia continued to distance itself from the former Yugoslavia nations. It feared establishing ties with them in case there were efforts to be pushed back into those states. Slovenia sought out new connections with the rest of Europe and joined the European Union in 2004. Fear of association with the Balkan states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia) dissipated after joining the EU, but prejudices and feelings of political and cultural superiority remained. Disputes over boarders was a big issue with the nations of former Yugoslavia, and Slovenia is still in one with Croatia. Slovenia also continued to feel separated culturally from the other Balkan states. Slovenia had more in common with its fellow Alpine countries particularly northern Italians, southern Germans, and the Swiss (Repe, 2008). In Slovenia’s fight for independence, the Balkan states were the “significant others” and by breaking away from them, accentuated the contrast between itself and the larger nation it was once a part of. They were also a source of competition after the breakup of Yugoslavia and Slovenia’s loss of a secure market. Part of the reason as to why Slovenia sought independence was that it saw strong cultural differences between itself and the southern Yugoslav regions.

A key aspect of Slovenian identity is culture. Slovenia itself describes culture as the “unifying force” that lead to independence (Then and Now, 2015). And indeed, it is reflected in every aspect of Slovenian life. The country has its own Ministry of Culture, which is responsible for the development of culture and the arts, and strives for the integrated conservation of cultural heritage, which is considered what makes a nation a nation, and the source of economic and social development (Culture of Slovenia, 2021). After gaining independence, Slovenia needed to combat its issues of stagnant identity, bogged down by traditionalism, seclusion, and prejudices, and needed to strengthen its intellectual power to begin the process of modernization (Repe, 2008). Slovenia easily dropped its Yugoslavia identity and the negative associations that came with it. Describing itself as an “innovative, knowledge-based culture” (Then and Now, 2015) Slovenia reveres the arts, using it as a way to boost its national identity to the larger world and establish themselves as an independent country. 

Despite its goals of differentiating itself from its neighbors, Slovenia takes pride in its diversity. Being that it is such a newly established country, diversity was welcomed to bring in new cultures and ideas, what Slovenia describes as “amateur culture” or different cultures coming together to enhance the overall national culture of Slovenia (Then and Now, 2015). Regional identity is also very important to Slovenia, having been what gave strength to Slovenia while a part of Yugoslavia, and it continues to this day. The most distinctive is the Prekmurje, a region settled by Hungarians, and the Primorska region of Italians. With these two regions, Italians and Hungarians make up Slovenia’s two official minority ethnic groups (Allcock, 2021). Even as it boasts about diversity, Slovenia is a very homogenous nation, with 83.1% of its population being ethnically Slovene (CIA, 2021).

Alongside culture, language is described as the cornerstone of Slovenian national identity. Efforts to preserve the Slovenian language were present through its time under Yugoslavia, and as a new nation. Slovenia emphasizes the importance of “keeping it safe from the influences of foreign language” and to not give in to pressure from other countries. “Slovenia has always been surrounded and sometimes even invaded by large, loud languages” (Then and Now, 2015). In the terms described by Triandafyllidou, these “large loud languages” are external significant others that threaten its distinctiveness, in this case, its own language. Slovenia has done a good job with protecting its language, as it is the country’s only official language (CIA, 2021). 

What creates national identity according to Triandafyllidou is the presence of an “other,” something a nation can compare itself with and know exactly what makes them different, what it is that makes the “other” a threat, or what makes the nation unique in comparison. In the case of Slovenia, its initial “other” was the larger multination of Yugoslavia, which it sought to break away from and gain political and cultural autonomy. Once it gained independence, the “other” became the former nations united under Yugoslavia, from which Slovenia made an effort to distance itself from. Now, Slovenia’s “others” continue to be its neighboring Balkan nations, as it strengthens its relationships with the EU the west, and its fellow Alpine countries. Despite its pride of diversity, Slovenia remains a homogenous nation, with a strong connection to its own culture, regional identities, and language but acknowledges that in order to have a strong culture, and thus a strong nation, they have to embrace differences in culture as a way to add to their own. 

 

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Works Cited

 

Allcock, J. (2021, January 23). Slovenia. In Britannica. Retrieved January 29, 2021  from https://www.britannica.com/place/Slovenia

CIA (2021).  Slovenia. The world factbook. Retrieved January 29, 2021 from https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/slovenia

Culture of Slovenia (2021). Slovenian Convention Bureau. Retrieved January 29, 2021 from https://www.slovenia-convention.com/culture-of-slovenia-i-feel-25/

The New York Times (2018, February 28). National identity is made up. The Interpreter [Video file]. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/national-identity-myth.html

Patterson, P. (2003). On the Edge of Reason: The Boundaries of Balkanism in Slovenian, Austrian, and Italian Discourse. Slavic Review, 62(1), 110-141. doi:10.2307/3090469 

Repe, B. (2008). Regional differences, Slovene national identity, and the foundation of the Slovene state. Slovene Studies, 30(2), 255–263. https://journals.lib.washington.edu/index.php/ssj/article/viewFile/14774/12383. 

Then and now. (2015, December 23). 25 Years of Independence Republic of Slovenia.http://www.slovenia25.si/i-feel-25/timeline/then-and-now/index.html

 Triandafyllidou, A. (1998). National identity and the “Other.” Ethnic and Racial Studies, 21(4), 593–612. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/014198798329784