Autumn-Lectures of our Colleague Janine Schemmer
As part of the lecture series 2025/2026 „Liminality – Transformations“ of the Department of Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology in Graz, Janine Schemmer presented the In-Between project in her talk “Seltsames Gemisch. Historisch-anthropologische Perspektiven auf das In-between in der Alpen-Adria-Region. Eine Projektvorstellung”.
At the bRunCH, a series of events promoting informal dialogue on transdisciplinary research in the field of humanities, Janine Schemmer presented the In-between project. Katja Muhurko, a project member, hosted the event at the Research Centre for Humanities in Nova Gorica.
At the transdisciplinary conference “Empowering European Democracy. Civic education, cross-border cooperation and multi-level governance”, which took place in Gorizia on 6–7 November 2025 and featured contributions from academics and institutional representatives, Janine Schemmer gave a lecture titled “Capacities of Mixing. Uno studio microstorico e transregionale dell’area tra le Alpi e l’Adriatico”.
23.01.2026
Report Workshop "Individuals"
Our second project workshop was held in Ljubljana on 26 September 2024. The team meeting centred on our research on the practices of in-between when researching archival material about individuals.
In two consecutive panels, project members presented their ongoing research. Marija Klobčar began with a presentation on Anastasius Grün alias Anton Alexander Graf von Auersperg and Emil Korytko. Katja Mihurko Poniž spoke about the relationship between Zofka Kveder and Marica Nadlišek Bartol. Werner Drobesch reflected on Eduard (Ritter von) Josch. The diary of Eduard Josch – a document for indications of an “In-between”? Žarko Lazarević dealt with the Vošnjak Family and Daša Ličen lectured on ‘Breaking Institutional Monolithism: Reinstating Julius Kugy’s Associational Life in (post-)Habsbourg Trieste’.
The presentations considered the different ways in which the in-between has been negotiated at both institutional and individual levels, and the means by which individuals are enmeshed in wider cultural and social contexts. The importance of a differentiated approach to public and private practices as well as self-identification and external attributions was emphasised in the discussion that followed the presentations.
14.03.2025
Lecture: Die Alpen-Adria-Region – eine Übergangsgegend. Historische Lebenswelten anhand von Reisebeschreibungen erschließen / The Alps-Adriatic region - an area of transition. Exploring historical lifeworlds on the basis of travelogues
On June 20th, 2024, Ute Holfelder presented at the conference „Interpreting the world of yesterday. Historical Anthropology as an Approach to a Complex Past“ at Saarland University Saarland (20.-22.6.2024).
Abstract of the lecture:
The Alps-Adriatic region, including Carinthia/Koroška (today: Austria), Carniola (today: Slovenia), the Adriatic coastal region, in particular Trieste (today: Italy), and Friuli (Italy since 1866), was part of the Habsburg Monarchy until 1918. These regions are and were connected in many ways. However, this was not taken into account in the long-dominant historical narrative that followed the nationalization process of the present-day states of Austria, Slovenia and Italy. It was only with the work of Pieter Judson (2006), among others, that a change of perspective came about, which does not focus on differences and segregation along national and ethnic lines, but instead looks at cultural similarities as well as economic and social connections and interdependencies beyond today’s national borders.
The FWF project „Discourses and Practices of the In-Between in the Alpine-Adriatic Region: Klagenfurt, Ljubljana and Trieste 1815-1914“, based in Klagenfurt/Celovec, is searching for traces of contemporary discourses and practices of historical actors in the sense of Carlo Ginzburg. They provide indications of the aforementioned connections and are referred to in the project as „In-between“. Our starting point is that in the dissolving Habsburg Monarchy, ethnicizing and nationalizing narratives had to assert themselves against seemingly non-coherent practices and non-nationalizing narratives. In other words, we assume that „being in-between“ was the historical normality of everyday life for many actors in the Alps-Adriatic region. It was only with the invention of national identities that practices of being in-between appeared worthy of discussion and transmission.
One approach to the historical field is the re-reading of historical travelogues. In these, the Alps-Adriatic region is described as a „transitional area“ (Carus 1837) or also as „the transition“ (Jeitteles 1844) between North and South, between Occident and Orient. Thus, a hybrid space is outlined in which, for example, linguistic mixtures or cultural and economic exchange can be observed. The lecture will present examples from the travelogues to illustrate the In-Between hypothesis and ask in what way the source „travelogue“ can help to open up historical lifeworlds.
09.07.2024
Report Workshop "Ethnographies"
On 17 November 2023, the first of three transnational project workshops titled “Ethnographies, Travel literature and Description of ‚Land und Leute‘“ took place. It focussed on our analysis of discourses of the In-between, and shed light on our current research steps. Some cooperation partners also took part in the workshop.
In his introduction, project leader Klaus Schönberger addressed general aspects and insights that have arisen during the first months of our cooperation, concerning the question of how to approach the sources, possible analytical strategies in analysing them and the textual co-production. Afterwards, the project members presented first research findings. The transnational project team exchanged ideas on the following topics, perspectives and approaches: “Narratives about the Other in oneself in the 19th century” (Jurij Fikfak), “Ethnographies – in-between national and anational“ (Werner Drobesch, Christian Frühwirth, Gerhard Katschnig, Fabian Prilasnig), “Exploring the In-Between in travel literature“ (Gabriele Brunner, Ute Holfelder, Janine Schemmer), “Identification and in-between practices in Triest in the light of migration and mobility” (Aleksej Kalc), and “Conceptual challenges – defining practices of the In-between“ (Janine Schemmer). The group further discussed the manifold forms and qualities of practices of the in-between we identified in the different, heterogeneous sources.
The findings presented throughout the day will be published in a special issue of the journal Traditiones in 2024.
25.01.2024
Workshop "Ethnographies"
In the first year of the project, our research focusses particularly on discourses articulated in ethnographic writings of the 19th century.
On 17 November 2023, we will hold our first workshop in Klagenfurt, where we will discuss first findings of our analysis regarding discourses of the in-between in historical ethnographic writings as well as travel literature, written in and about the Alps-Adriatic region.
26.10.2023
Our work has started
The FWF/ARRS project „Discourses and Practices of the In-Between“ is a cooperation between the Institute of Cultural Analysis and the Institute of History at the Alps-Adriatic University, as well as the ZRC SAZU and the University of Koper.
The 20 staff memebers started their work on 1 April 2023. The transnational and interdisciplinary project is led by Klaus Schönberger, Jurij Fikfak and Werner Drobesch. During the next three years we would like to share the progress of our project, letting you know about our activities, cooperations, teachings and publications.
So stay tuned for upcomming news.
08.09.2023