Research activity
Alma Mater Europaea – Faculty of Humanities, Institutum Studiorum Humanitatis (AMEU – ISH) is a high-quality higher education and research institution with a long tradition in the field of scientific research. In the future, excellence in research and development is also one of the five major strategic orientations of the Strategic Plan AMEU – ISH 2018-2023.
At the AMEU – ISH research organizations, two research groups are operating within the two research institutes – the Institute for the Humanities and the Institute for Social Sciences Research.
Alma Mater Europaea – European Centre, Maribor, the founder of AMEU – ISH, has an academic and institutional patronage of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts from Salzburg which includes over 1600 academic members and 32 Nobel Prize winners, thereby enabling AMEU – ISH’s researchers to be actively involved in the broadest scientific research collaboration.
Research programme Research of Cultural Formations
AMEU-ISH implements a research programme Research of Cultural Formations (2019-2024), funded by the Slovenian Research Agency. The main objective of the programme is interdisciplinary research on cultural formations related to arts, media and politics, with a tendency to outline the contemporaneity in post-transition situation.
Cultural formation in its broad sense means internally coherent whole of social relations based on a specified production mode, in its narrow sense it means concrete integration of a set of cultural practices, having the identifying characteristics and which is considered in both its internal relationships and in relation to broader social formations and other social formations. Research of cultural formations is a program that enables researchers with different scientific backgrounds, to interdisciplinary approach the research on cultural formations: a comparative (comparison of different formations) or relational (e.g. in relation to the social context), synchronic (at the same time) or diachronic (through time). The six-year lasting program is conceptualized largely with reference to the current social situation, therefore the central focus is on the research of art, media and political culture in the posttransitional circumstances.
Research at AMEU-ISH is carried out at two research institutes:
- Institute for Research in Humanities, Head of the Institute prof. dr. Polona Tratnik;
- Institute for Social Science Research, Head of the Institute assoc. prof. dr. Cirila Toplak.
Research projects at AMEU – ISH
In the past 5 years, various scientific research projects were successfully completed or are still underway at AMEU – ISH:
- Russian intellectuals in Slovenia in the aftermath of the October Revolution
(project approved under the ARRS call for proposals (co) financing research projects)
Project leader: prof. ddr. Igor Grdina
Duration: 2013–2016
- Promotion of the scientific activity of the AMEU – ISH at ASEF
(project approved under the ARRS Slovenia public tender for co-financing activities related to the promotion of Slovenian science abroad in 2014), an independent project of Alma Mater Europaea
Coordinator: dr. Cirila Toplak
- Project Hosting – Pilot Project (ISH)
(project approved by the Public Fund for the Development of Personnel and Scholarships, within the framework of the Public Call for Proposals Financing at Slovenian Higher Education Institutions – Pilot Project, 217 JR), Independent Project AMEU – ISH
Project duration: 1. 10. 2017 – 31. 3. 2018
Coordinator: dr. Polona Tratnik
- Monitor ISH
(project approved under the ARRS Slovenia Public Call for Proposals for Co-financing the Issue of Domestic Scientific Periodicals in 2015 and 2016), Alma Mater Europaea – ISH
Project duration: 2013 and 2014, 2015 and 2016 , 2017 and 2018, 2019 and 2020
Project leader: dr. Maja Sunčič
- Evripid
(project approved by Public Book Agency)
Project duration: 2016-2018
Project leader: dr. Maja Sunčič
- Co-financing of Doctoral Studies at ISH
(project approved under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology – Public Call for Co-financing of Doctoral Studies – Generation 2016), Independent Project AMEU – ISH
Project duration: academic year 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19
Project Leader: Assoc. prof. dr. Polona Tratnik
- Bilateral project with USA: Cultural Formation Research – Photography (in collaboration with Bighamton University – State University of New York)
Project Leader: dr. Polona Tratnik,
Project duration: 2018-2019
- Scientific Monographs
(ARRS approved project – Call for proposals for co-financing the publication of scientific monographs in 2017), standalone project AMEU – ISH
Project duration: 2017
Project leader: Assoc. prof. dr. Polona Tratnik
- ARRS research project “The social function of fairy tales”
(project approved under the ARRS call for proposals (co) financing research projects for 2019)
Project type: basic (€ 100,000)
Project leader: prof. dr. Polona Tratnik
Duration: 1.7.2019-30.6.2022
Completed research projects, funded by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS):
- Russian intellectuals in Slovenia in the period after the October Revolution (1.8.2013-31.7.2016)
- Love and the family in the age of globalisation (1.2.2008-30.1.2011)
- Christ sufferer in Slovenian art (1.7.2007-30.6.2010)
- Historical anthropology of intellectuals (1.1.2007-31.12.2009)
- Optimising cognitive (learning) effectiveness of didactic texts (1.1.2007-31.12.2009)
- International research skills of students: Factors of lagging of Slovenian pupils from pupils in more prosperous countries (1.9.2005-31.8.2008)
- Ethnic groups – minorities from the former Yugoslavia in Slovenia – the context of media issues (1.7.2004-30.6.2007)
- Glagolitic culture and Slovenian art (1.7.2004-30.6.2007)
- Application of knowledge on ancient democracy in developing civic awareness of direct democracy on lower levels of political activity of citizens – municipality, association, estate, house (1.7.2004-30.6.2007)
- Illegal migration – in the context of new borders (Slovenian-Croatian and Slovenian-Italian border) (1.8.2004-31.8.2006)
- Jews in the imaginary ethnic distinctions in contemporary Slovenia (1.7.2004-30.6.2006)
- Historical Anthropology of female laughter: cultural policy for equal participation in European democracies (1.1.2003-31.12.2005)
- Computer-mediated communication (e-forums) in educational activities (1.10.2002-30.9.2004)
- Imagery of the late Middle Ages in Slovenia (1.7.2001-30.6.2004)
- Imagery of Other: the constitution of Otherness in the case of migrants (refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers) (1.7.2001-30.6.2004)
- Inventions of national landscapes in a multi-ethnic border region: Istria from the mid-19thcentury to this day (1.7.2001-30.6.2004)
- Processes of ethnic discrimination in Slovenia: confronting the perceptions (1.7.2001-30.6.2004)
- Characteristics and perspectives of computer-mediated communication (the case of discussion forums and chat rooms) (1.7.2001-30.6.2004)
- International research of literacy -INEA (1.6.1999-31.12.2003)
- Characteristics and tendencies of everyday life in a society in transition (1.7.1998-30.6.2003)
- Creation of the social uses of new communication technologies in Slovenia (examples) (1.8.2000-31.7.2002)
- Addressing culture in Slovenian media (1.8.2000-31.7.2002)
- Public language and its use in a socially relevant communication (1.1.2000-30.6.2002)
- The construction of collective memory in antiquity (1.1.2000-30.6.2002)
- Role of State awards in Slovenia today (1.8.2000-31.7.2001)
- Language and gender difference (1.1.1999-30.6.2001)
- Constitution process of public and public activities in societies in transition (1.1.1999-30.6.2001)
- Suppressed arts (1.7.1998-30.6.2001)
- Constitution of national interest and the use of national criteria in Slovenian cultural policy (1.11.1999-31.12.2000)
- Mentality and imagery at the crossroads of the Mediterranean and Central Europe (1.5.1997-30.4.2000)
- Hetaira and philosopher: to the history of a citizen and a couple (1.1.1997-31.12.1999)
- Identity of coastal towns of Koper, Izola and Piran, 1945-1995 (1.1.1997-31.12.1999)
- Quality of a textbook (1.1.1997-31.12.1999)
- Data and conceptual basis for a research of ideologies (1.1.1995-31.12.1999)
- Foundations and media research in Slovenia (1.11.1995-30.11.1999)
- Language and gender difference: the image of women in textbooks and literature (1.1.1996-31.12.1998)
- Sociological aspects of reproduction and sexual determinants for male and female population in the Republic of Slovenia (1.1.1996-30.6.1998)
- Aspects of transition in peripheral capitalist societies (1.1.1997-30.6.1998).
Organisation of scientific and professional events
Each year, AMEU – ISH co-hosts the scientific conference with international participation “All about people” http://conference.almamater.si/
In addition, AMEU – ISH also organises and co-organises various scientific and professional events, such as international colloquiums, symposiums, seminars, public lectures, etc.