Emigration From Prekmurje Between the First and Second World Wars: Experiences Portrayed in Contributions to Mladi Prekmurec

Abstract

The author surveys the reasons and circumstances of emigration from Prekmurje between the First and Second World Wars, on the basis of material, which was published in “Mladi Prekmurec” (Young Prekmurec), a gazette of the younger intellectuals and litterateurs. This was a forum for authors to discuss the economic problems of Prekmurje, as well as its social structure, economic life and the phenomenon of seasonal migration, which in the majority of cases was extended to outright emigration. In the beginning, from about 1850 onwards, seasonal workers would set out for Slavonia, Vojvodina and Hungary; emigrants between the wars, however, went mostly to Germany, France, and North and South America. Their feelings, alongside reminiscences and hopes for the future, were reflected in eight poems, which “Mladi Prekmurec” published. The reasons, intentions and circumstances for emigration from Prekmurje serve as an insightful microcosm of Slovenians’ experiences throughout the country.