Traditiones

Urban Futures: From Visions of Slovenian Towns to Silenced Urban Residents

2023-01-24T13:48:17+01:00

Efforts for a better future are not tied to specific locations but are most noticeable in cities as central foci of power. These strive to meet the needs of (growing) population by planning the development of infrastructure and activities that affect the quality of life. The paper highlights topics that have proven central for the future in selected Slovenian towns. Such research fills a gap in urban studies, which usually focus on large and influential cities.

Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology of Futures: Concepts for Researching Something that does not (yet) Exist

2023-01-24T13:56:54+01:00

The paper deals with the future as an object of cultural anthropological research and an analytical concept through a presentation of existing studies – from those in the domains of »cultural futuristics« and anticipatory anthropology to those that more visibly shape the anthropology of futures. We compare conceptual approaches (future as a cultural fact, multitemporality, temporal action, metaphysical presentism, multiple futures) and outline the research framework we develop in our project on urban futures.

"No Bees – No Future": The Bee as a Symbol of a Green Ljubljana

2023-01-24T14:14:01+01:00

The article employs the concept of future-proofing to examine how bees become key figures in visions of a green sustainable future. It traces the links between beekeeping as a traditional practice in Slovenia, the rise and popularity of urban beekeeping in Ljubljana, and the ways it becomes a crucial element of green urban programs and future-oriented resilience strategies that take numerous forms and are launched in diverse contexts.

European Capital of Culture 2025: A Multidirectional Engine of a Common City Development in Nova Gorica and Gorizia

2023-01-24T14:42:06+01:00

The article is a contribution to an ongoing project of the European Capital of Culture 2025 in Nova Gorica (Slovenia) and Gorica (Gorizia, Italy). The authors are foregrounding one of the main objectives of the project, the creation of crossborder common city space. Based on ethnographic fieldwork they introduce three scenarios that could lead towards this goal, whereby each of them is highlighting a different aspect of everyday life in the cities: everyday communication, social networking, and material infrastructure.

Deindustrialization and the Future: Experiences after the Bankruptcy of the Mura Factory

2023-01-24T14:51:20+01:00

The article focuses on the temporal experiences of the industrial workers after the bankruptcy of the Mura garment factory in 2009 and their place in the vision of the future development of Murska Sobota and Pomurje. It calls for the inclusion of industrial workers in anthropological studies of the future, including in the critique of their public and academic representation as past-oriented subjects.

A Past that does not Pass?: Unreconciled Past in the Present and Future of Istria

2023-01-24T22:28:02+01:00

In the article, the author argues that the future is conditioned by the past – especially when the inhabitants have not come to terms with their history, as shown by the case study conducted in the Slovenian part of Istria. Examining the codification of the geographical name for Slovenian Istria demonstrates how important landmarks from the recent past influence local identity. In doing so, she analyzes silence and the relationship between the urban and rural. She argues that by erasing the past that was characteristic of socialism, the future “returns” to the past, especially in traumatized societies that have not come to terms with it.

Responsibility in Public Space: Remaking of Two Croatian Cities

2023-01-24T22:38:40+01:00

The article addresses the transformations of urban public space in contemporary Croatia. It tackles the issue of responsibility related to city-making processes. It raises the question of what and who makes a public space public. The analysis is based on ethnographic case studies conducted in the European Square in Zagreb and Sea Organs in Zadar. Despite their previous marginality, both places function as places of gathering but also as spaces whose publicness i renegotiated between diverse agents.

The Challenges of Integrating Highly Skilled Migrants into the Professional Sports System

2023-01-24T23:10:57+01:00

Highly skilled migrants in the professional sports system are circular migrants, who migrate repeatedly after each contract change. This article is based on ethnological field research with persons in the sports system (i.e. coaching staff), and analyses the challenges of their integration and well-being. The study shows that migrant sports professionals are not integrated into the host society, but rather into the club and live in a professional “bubble.” Although they are privileged migrants, they often face emotional and social challenges. Each remigration brings new integration challenges, transnational families, “sacrificing” of their spouses’ careers and their children’s social life.