Raziskovanje slovenskega izseljenstva

Academic and theoretical foundations of Slovenian emigration research were set at the University of Ljubljana in the 1930s. In the 1960s, more systematic, complex and multi-disciplinary Slovenian emigration research began to develop. As part of this process, Slovenian Migration Institute was established in 1982. The book was conceived upon the 30th anniversary of the Institute's affiliation to ZRC SAZU. Besides the Institute's researchers, some other scholars were invited to contribute chapters, especially members of younger generations who tend to test most up-to-date research approaches and treat their themes from new or under-researched angles.The central part of the book is thus thematically divided into three sections: “Selected aspects of Slovenian emigration research”, “Approaches, methods, categorisation”, and “Topical issues”. With such thematic structure and contents, the book is primarily aimed at touching upon some new questions concerning the present state and future development of Slovenian emigration research, taking into account contemporary international trends in migration studies as well as some specificities pertaining to Slovenian emigration.

Zametki znanstvenega preučevanja slovenskega izseljevanja segajo v čas pred prvo svetovno vojno, ko je pojav dosegel svoj zgodovinski višek. V tridesetih letih 20. stoletja je preučevanje izseljenske tematike dobilo akademsko podlago in teoretično utemeljitev v okviru ljubljanske univerze. Sistematično raziskovanje slovenskega izseljenstva se je intenzivneje razvijalo od šestdesetih let dalje, se tematsko razvejalo in postalo področje sodelovanja raznih znanstvenih disciplin. V tem procesu je v osemdesetih letih zaživel tudi današnji Inštitut za slovensko izseljenstvo in migracije ZRC SAZU. K sodelovanju pri knjigi, ki prihaja med bralce ob jubileju Inštituta, so bili poleg njegovih članov povabljeni še nekateri drugi raziskovalci migracij, posebno pripadniki mlajših generacij, ki poglabljajo in razširjajo tradicionalne raziskovalne vsebine, jih obravnavajo z novih zornih kotov in pri tem preizkušajo nove raziskovalne pristope. Publikacija tako prinaša pregled dosedanjega dela Inštituta na področju raziskovanja slovenskega izseljenstva ter izbor prispevkov o nekaterih tematikah in vprašanjih, ki so danes v ospredju zanimanj preučevalcev slovenskih migracij.