DESET LET REVIJE DVE DOMOVINI/TWO HOMELANDS
Janja Žitnik
Dve domovini/Two Homelands, znanstvena revija Inštituta za slovensko izseljenstvo ZRC SAZU v Ljubljani, je bila ustanovljena leta 1990, ko je Inštitut komaj tri leta deloval v organizacijsko in kadrovsko prenovljeni sestavi, tj. z več kot enim redno zaposlenim raziskovalcem. Šele po letu 1986, ko je bil Inštitut administrativno priključen Znanstvenoraziskovalnemu centru Slovenske akademije znanosti in umetnosti, se je namreč odprla možnost, da smo v prvem triletnem obdobju lahko zaposlili štiri nove raziskovalce. Leta 1990 je torej na Inštitutu delovalo pet raziskovalcev: literarna zgodovinarka Janja Žitnik od leta 1985, etnologinja Breda Čebulj Sajko in zgodovinar Andrej Vovko od leta 1987, zgodovinar Marjan Drnovšek od leta 1988 in sociologinja Marina Lukšič - Hacin (sedanja predstojnica Inštituta) od leta 1989, pri tehničnem in administrativnem delu pa jim je od leta 1987 pomagala strokovna delavka Špela Marinšek. Danes, desetletje pozneje, deluje na Inštitutu sedem raziskovalcev. Andrej Vovko nas je medtem zapustil, pridružili pa so se nam trije raziskovalci: zgodovinarka Irena Gantar Godina leta 1994, antropolog Zvone Žigon (mladi raziskovalec) leta 1995 in geograf Jernej Mlekuž (prav tako mladi raziskovalec) leta 1999. Istega leta smo zaposlili tudi dokumentalista Deana Ceglerja.
Leta 1990 je bila raziskovalna skupina Inštituta resda številčno še zelo šibka, v strokovnem pogledu pa dovolj močna, daje lahko ustanovila svojo samostojno znanstveno revijo. To vsekakor potrjuje prvi zvezekDveh domovin (1990); v njem je objavljenih kar 27 prispevkov, med katerimi v veliki večini prevladujejo znanstveni članki. V prvem zvezku revije se zrcali široka paleta tedanje raziskovalne dejavnosti na področju slovenskih izseljenskih študij, kije, čeprav še v zelo fragmentarni obliki, potekala v okviru različnih raziskovalnih, pedagoških in drugih ustanov in v okviru različnih znanstvenih disciplin.
Dve domovini / Two Homelands - 10 — 1999, 11-14
Odtlej revija redno izhaja enkrat letno. Povprečno število prispevkov v vseh rubrikah posameznega zvezka je približno 20 (v pričujoči številki 32), v skupnem obsegu revije pa seveda zavzemajo največ prostora znanstveni članki, ki so zadnja leta recenzirani po predpisanem postopku. Krog sodelavcev revije se nenehno spreminja, manjše jedro stalnih avtorjev vsako leto dopolnjujejo novi sodelavci iz najrazličnejših delov sveta. Tako v reviji sodelujejo poleg raziskovalcev iz Slovenije predstavniki slovenskih izseljenskih skupnosti po svetu (doslej predvsem iz Argentine, Kanade in Švedske), slovenski izseljenski znanstveniki in v manjši meri tudi tuji znanstveniki, ki raziskujejo izseljenstvo drugih narodov. Slednjim za sedaj posvečamo v reviji najmanj prostora, saj želimo s sprotnim objavljanjem znanstvenih rezultatov spodbujati predvsem raziskovanje slovenskega izseljenstva, in sicer ob načrtnem vključevanju primerjalnih in teoretskih študij ter metodoloških obravnav. Cilj uredniške politike revije je, da bi postopoma razširili interes za raziskovanje slovenske izseljenske problematike na tiste znanstvene discipline, ki še ne sodelujejo na tem raziskovalnem področju, v okviru primerjalnih študij pa vsekakor tudi na tuje raziskovalce.
Prav zaradi tega smo z letošnjim letom vključili v uredniški odbor revije še dva priznana tuja raziskovalca mednarodnih migracij, in sicer prof. dr. Dirka Hoer-derja z bremenske univerze in prof. dr. Adama Walaszka z Inštituta Polonije, ki deluje na Jagiellonski univerzi v Krakovu. Istočasno je bil imenovan tudi novi odgovorni urednik dr. Marjan Drnovšek. Kot predstavnika zamejske in izseljenske raziskovalne dejavnosti redno sodelujeta v uredniškem odboru že od ustanovitve revije dolgoletni sodelavec Inštituta Aleksej Kalc, raziskovalec z Odseka za zgodovino Narodne in študijske knjižnice v Trstu, in akademik prof. dr. Rado L. Lenček s Kolumbijske univerze v New Yorku. S prihodnjim letom pa nameravamo dopolniti uredniški odbor vsaj še z enim mendarodno uveljavljenim raziskovalcem tega področja.
Prihodnje leto, ob vstopu v novo desetletje izhajanja, bo naša revija predvidoma dobila tudi sodobnejšo obliko, uredniška politika pa bo za sedaj ostala nespremenjena. Izjemo predstavlja le naslednja številka Dveh domovin, za katero pripravljamo - poleg rednih rubrik - še naslednje prikaze: predstavitev arhivske, periodične in knjižne zbirke Inštituta ter bibliografijo vseh prispevkov v prvih desetih številkah naše revije, v načrtu pa je tudi objava bibliometrijske analize dosedanjih zvezkov te publikacije.
V času izhajanja naše revije so raziskovalci Inštituta za slovensko izseljenstvo, tj. njenega izdajatelja, objavili poleg znanstvenih prispevkov v domačih in tujih revijah tudi vrsto znanstvenih monografij in zbornikov, ki so med drugim
ocenjeni tudi v tej publikaciji; samo v zadnjih dveh letih (1998-99) so objavili osem znanstvenih knjižnih izdaj in en zbornik razprav (zaradi tega smo v letošnji številki Dveh domovin posvetili knjižnim ocenam več prostora kot običajno). In vendar ugotavljamo, da nas v tujih inštitutih in centrih za migracijske študije poznajo predvsem po naši reviji - verjetno zato, ker izhaja dvojezično in so njeni prispevki dostopni tako rekoč vsem tujim raziskovalcem, poleg tega pa je revija s svojo večdisciplinarno zasnovo zanimiva za širok krog uporabnikov. Spričo redne izmenjave revije z drugimi domačimi in tujimi periodičnimi publikacijami je v knjižnici Inštituta za slovensko izseljenstvo na voljo obiskovalcem precej širok izbor znanstvene, strokovne in izseljenske periodike.
Ob vseh spodbudnih novicah moram tiste tuje bralce, ki ne morejo redno zasledovati vsega pomembnejšega dogajanja v Sloveniji, obvestiti še o tragičnem dogodku, ki je spomladi pretresel sodelavce Dveh domovin. Le tri dni pred tem, ko smo se člani redakcije zbrali na redni uredniški seji, je ugasnilo življenje našega dotedanjega odgovornega urednika. Akademik prof. dr. Ferdo Gestrin, plodovit in odmeven znanstvenik, priljubljeni mentor in pedagog, je vrsto let pred upokojitvijo delal kot redni profesor na Oddelku za zgodovino Filozofske fakultete v Ljubljani, v zadnjem desetletju pa je bil tesno povezan tudi z našim inštitutom. F unkcij o odgovornega urednika naše revij e j e opravlj al že od nj ene ustanovitve, v istem obdobju je bil tudi več let član in celo predsednik Znanstvenega sveta Inštituta. Vest o njegovi smrti je odmevala v številnih slovenskih medijih, še posebej v raziskovalnih in univerzitetnih krogih s področja slovenskega zgodovinopisja.1
S to nepričakovano izgubo je na naš skupni jubilej ob desetletnici izhajanja pričujoče publikacije padla senca grenkobe. Spominu na našega pokojnega nestorja pa se bomo najiskreneje poklonili tako, da bomo še naprej sledili njegovim izkušnjam in usmeritvam in da nas nas bosta tudi v prihodnje vodila njegova že kar prislovična treznost in optimizem.
V imenu izdajatelja revije se zahvaljujem vsem njenim dosedanjim sodelavcem, ki so s svojimi pestrimi prispevki iz leta v leto bogatili njeno vsebino; vsem nekdanjim in sedanjim članom uredniškega odbora, zlasti pa svojima predhodnikoma dr. Andreju Vovku in dr. Marjanu Drnovšku za njuna prizadevanja v prvih letih izhajanja revije, ko smo s svojo izdajateljsko dejavnostjo na tem področju še »orali ledino«; dosedanjim tehničnim urednikom, ki so kljub zahtevnemu in zamudnemu delu poskrbeli, da so vsi zvezki revije lahko izšli v načrtova-
1 Bralce Dveh domovin naj spomnim, da smo predstavitev akademika Gestrina objavili v 8. zvezku revije v rubriki Portreti.
nem roku; in nenazadnje vsem našim bralcem, kijih ob tej priložnosti vabim, da se vključijo v naše delo ne le s prispevki, ki jih predlagajo v objavo, temveč tudi s svojimi morebitnimi pobudami in predlogi uredništvu za še pestrejšo zasnovo in še nekoliko bogatejšo vsebino nadaljnjih zvezkov Dveh domovin.
TEN YEARS OF DVE DOMOVINI/TWO HOMELANDS
Janja Žitnik
Dve domovini/Two Homelands, the journal of the Institute for Slovene Emigration Studies at the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovene Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) was founded in 1990, barely three years after organizational and personnel changes meant that the Institute could begin employing more than one full-time researcher. Only after 1986, when the Institute was attached administratively to the ZRC SAZU, were we given the possibility of employing four new researchers in the first three-year period. By 1990 there were five researchers working at the Institute: literary historian Janja Žitnik (since 1985), ethnologist Breda Čebulj Sajko and historian Andrej Vovko (since 1987), historian Marjan Drnovšek (since 1988) and sociologist Marina Lukšič-Hacin, the current head of the Institute (since 1989). Since 1987 they have been assisted in technical and administrative work by Spela Marinšek. Today, ten years later, seven researchers work at the Institute. Andrej Vovko has left us, and we have been joined by three other researchers: in 1994 by historian Irena Gantar Godina, in 1995 by anthropologist Zvone Žigon (with young researcher status) and in 1999 by geographer Jernej Mlekuž (also with young researcher status). In 1999 we also employed documentalist Dean Ceglar.
In 1990 the research group of the Institute was still very weak in terms of the number of staff, but sufficiently strong from the point of view of expertise to be able to found its own journal. This is confirmed by the first volume ofDve domovini/Two Homelands (1990), which contained as many as 27 articles, the great majority of which were scholarly papers. The first volume of the journal reflected the broad palette of current research activity in the field of Slovene emigration studies which, though still in very fragmentary form, was being carried out within various research, teaching and other institutions and within various academic disciplines.
Dve domovini / Two Homelands - 10 - 1999, 15-18
Since then the journal has appeared regularly once a year. The average number of articles across all the sections of an individual volume is around 20 (in the present issue there are 32). Most space in the journal as a whole is of course taken up by scholarly papers, which in recent years have been selected according to a prescribed evaluation procedure. The circle of contributors to the journal is constantly changing, and the small nucleus of permanent writers is complemented each year by new contributors from all over the world. Contributors to the journal include, as well as researchers from Slovenia, representatives of Slovene emigrant communities around the world (to date these have mostly been from Argentina, Canada and Sweden), Slovene emigrant scholars and, to a lesser extent, scholars researching emigration from other nations. For the present, this last group is given the least space in the journal, since our main aim is to stimulate research into Slovene emigration by publishing the latest academic findings - through the deliberate inclusion of comparative and theoretical studies and methodological treatments. The aim of the journal’s editorial policy is gradually to extend interest in the research of Slovene emigration issues to those academic disciplines not yet taking part in this field of research, and (within the framework of comparative studies) of course to foreign researchers.
For this reason the editorial board has been joined this year by two well-known foreign researchers of international migrations. These are Professor Dirk Hoerder of Bremen University and Professor Adam Walaszek of the Polonia Institute, who works at Uniwersytet Jagiellonski in Krakow. Another development is the appointment of Dr Marjan Drnovšek as executive editor. Two representatives of research activities outside the borders of Slovenia and overseas, who have been regular members of the editorial board since the journal was founded, are the Institute’s long-term collaborator Aleksej Kale, a researcher in the History Section of the National and Studies Library in Trieste, and Academy-member Professor Rado L. Lencek of Columbia University, New York. Next year we intend to further supplement the editorial board with at least one more internationally-known researcher from this field.
In the coming year, as we embark on a new decade of publication, the format of our journal will probably be updated, but editorial policy will for the time being remain unchanged. The only exception is the next issue of Dve domo-vini/Two Homelands, for which we are preparing - in addition to the regular sections - the following reviews: a presentation of the Institute’s archive, its periodicals collection and its library, and a bibliography of all the articles contained in the
first ten issues of the journal. We also plan to publish a bibliometrical analysis of the volumes of the publication that have appeared to date.
In the ten years that we have been publishing our journal, the researchers of the Institute for Slovene Emigration Studies (the journal’s publisher) have contributed scholarly articles to domestic and foreign journals and also published a range of monographs and collections of papers which are among the works reviewed in the journal; in the last two years alone (1998-99) they have published eight books and one collection of essays (for this reason we have devoted more space than usual to book reviews in this year’s Dve domovini/Two Homelands). And yet we find that in foreign institutes and migration studies centres we are known mainly for our journal - probably because it is published in two languages and its articles are thus accessible to practically all foreign researchers. Furthermore the multidisciplinary design of the journal makes it interesting to a broad circle of users. Thanks to regular exchanges with other domestic and foreign periodical publications, the library of the Institute for Slovene Emigration Studies offers visitors a fairly wide choice of academic, specialist and emigrant periodicals.
After all this encouraging news it is my sad duty to inform those foreign readers who are perhaps not in a position to keep abreast of all important developments in Slovenia of a tragic event which deeply affected the staff of Dve domovini/Two Homelands. Just three days before the members of the editorial board gathered for our regular editorial session, our executive editor passed away. Aca-demy-member Professor Ferdo Gestrin, a prolific and highly-esteemed researcher, and a popular mentor and teacher, was for many years a full professor at the Department of History of the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana, while over the last decade he was also closely connected with the Institute. He held the position of executive editor of our journal since its foundation, and in the same period was for several years a member (and even president) of the Academic Council of the Institute. The news of his death was widely reported in the Slovene media, particularly in research and uniyersity circles in the field of Slovene historiography.2
This unexpected loss has cast a shadow over the jubilee celebrating the tenth anniversary of the publication of the journal. The most sincere tribute we can pay to the memory of our late Nestor is to continue to learn from his experience and follow his guidelines, and to continue to be led in the future by his already famous moderation and optimism.
2 I should remind readers of Dve domovini/Two Homelands that a feature on Professor Gestrin appeared in the Portraits section of Volume 8 of the journal.
On behalf of our publisher I would like to thank all the contributors who have to date enriched the journal with their articles on a wide range of subjects; all the former and current members of the editorial board, particularly my predecessors Dr Andrej Vovko and Dr Marjan Drnovšek for their efforts in the first years of the journal’s existence, when we were still at the ‘spadework’ stage of our publishing activities; all the technical editors who despite demanding and time-consuming work have ensured that all the volumes of the journal have been published on schedule; and finally, all our readers, whom I take this opportunity to invite to join us in our work, not only through articles submitted for publication but also through suggestions and proposals to the editorial board of ways to make future volumes of Dve domovini/Two Homelands even more varied in scope and even richer in content.