Borderland Fascism – Social and Cultural History of Fascism in the Slovenian Littoral

Project Code: J5-5551

SICRIS

The research project entitled “Borderland Fascism(” – Social and Cultural History of Fascism in the Slovenian Littoral will focus on the under-researched area of cultural and social history of fascism in the Julian March (Venezia Giulia). It will undertake an analysis of the practices that marked the territory of the new provinces, practices whose ideological imprint shaped multilayered aspects of the border region today shared by Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. In the period between the two World Wars, fascist ideology and political practice in Julian March “mutated” into a special form, into the so-called “borderland fascism” (“ The singularity of fascism in the “newly annexed provinces” (“province nuove”) is defined by “double orientation”, considering fascism recognized two simultaneous opponents, namely, Slavic/Slovenian and Croatian Following their political annexation, the new provinces had to be “integrated” not only into the state, but also into the new ideological reality of fascism: i.e., into its cultural, social, landscape, architectural, infrastructural, economic reality etc. For this reason, the regime’s efforts (in contrast to other parts of the state) went in two distinct directions: (“outwards” (officially) This resulted in the fascist regime’s taking of a pronouncedly ideological stand in Julian March which exhibited the regime’s ideological elements to the “allogeni” (“aliens”) and to the international public. In Julian March, even more so than in other parts of Italy, the regime presented itself as the unimpeachable builder (of roads, schools, water distribution systems, etc.), while it functioned as “a brutal repressive machinery.”

The following areas will be the subject of research: (1. The role of national institutions in denationalization and assimilation processes; (2. The role of the repressive apparatus; (3. Ideologization of social events and the role of local Slovenian, Croatian and Italian elites; (4. Commemorative ideological marking of the region; (5. Imagology – the image of the “other” (in Italian and Slovenian/Croatian literature); (6. Marking of the environment with fascist ideology and fascist discourse in the urban environment; (7. “Romanization” of the Catholic Church in Julian March; (8. Penetration of ideology into the private sphere; (9. Gender studies (regime’s attitude towards (Slavic) women, homosexual behaviour etc.). Interdisciplinary methodology includes an analysis of discursive practices, imagology, iconography, onomastics, collection and analysis of oral accounts, and standard methodology of work with archival sources. Taking account of Slovenian, Italian, and other international literature, our research of the impact of fascist ideology and politics in the region will produce a multi-layered presentation of the “image of the Julian March” under fascism.