Conference Presentations by Irena Selisnik
The entrance of women into the public sphere in the Habsburg monarchy had a lot to do with revolu... more The entrance of women into the public sphere in the Habsburg monarchy had a lot to do with revolutions in 1848 and went -as was characteristic for the then on-going processes all over Western Europe -hand in hand with the development of national affirmation movements. In the after-March period national circles started to recognize nationally engaged women as one of the pillars for the development of a "strong and healthy" nation. Female-poets, recitators, singers and musicians became indispensible protagonists of national sociability; they were part of national parties and reading room celebrations. In the process of the expansion of national values and of even greater need to strengthen national identity among people, women gained important roles as mothers and educators of the offspring. Their mission was to raise national consciousness in younger generations. Due to the widespread belief that national awareness should not stay only in the domain of the middle class but had to grasp all social strata, the new opportunities opened also for Slovenian women, active in charity circles and cultural activities.
conference presentation by Irena Selisnik
Talks by Irena Selisnik
Irena Selišnik - Državljanstvo v prvi jugoslovanski državi
Z Ireno Selišnik smo se pogovarjali o državljanstvov prvi jugoslovanski državi. Pogovarjal se je ... more Z Ireno Selišnik smo se pogovarjali o državljanstvov prvi jugoslovanski državi. Pogovarjal se je Bojan Balkovec.
Več o tem lahko preberete v njenem članku v Zgodovinskem časopisu. Članek je dosegljiv na https://zgodovinskicasopis.si/zc/article/view/3955.
Articles by Irena Selisnik
Forum Historiae,, 2025
The present paper examines the dialectical relationship between the women’s and feminist movement... more The present paper examines the dialectical relationship between the women’s and feminist movements in the Slovene lands during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and in the aftermath of the First World War, as well as the antifeminist responses that emerged in both the media landscape and in structural political measures. The establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes brought about significant political and cultural transformations alongside rapid modernization, which led to a redefinition of antifeminist discourse and the introduction of new state policies aimed at restricting the participation of women in public life. While earlier opposition to women’s emancipation was often grounded in moral arguments, this gradually gave way to pseudoscientific frameworks such as (racial) anthropology and eugenics, with medicine increasingly becoming the dominant lens through which resistance to gender equality was articulated. The article pays particular attention to how the Great Depression and the demographic crisis influenced the debates surrounding women’s suffrage, access to the labor market, and most notably, reproductive rights. Additionally, special emphasis is placed on how these issues intersected with contemporary constructions of motherhood—an aspect frequently overlooked in existing scholarship on the topic.
SOČUTJE IN STIGMA. DRUŽBENE RAZLIKE IN REVŠČINA V SLOVENSKI NOVEJŠI ZGODOVINI, 2022
V članku je predstavljena ljubljanska elita na predvečer prve svetovne vojne, zanimala nas bo nje... more V članku je predstavljena ljubljanska elita na predvečer prve svetovne vojne, zanimala nas bo njena sestava po spolu, občevalnem jeziku in poklicu. V nadaljevanju bova ugotavljali, kaj se je z omenjeno skupino domnevno najpremožnejših ljubljanskih meščanov in meščank zgodilo po prelomnem letu 1918. Predvsem naju bo zanimalo, koliko pripadnikov omenjene skupine je ostalo v Ljubljani, koliko se jih je odselilo in kako se je v povezavi s tem po letu 1918 spremenila njihova narodnostna in spolna struktura.
1155 Irena SELIŠNIK* SOCIALNO MATERINSTVO Koncepti državljanstva in argument skrbi pri uveljavlja... more 1155 Irena SELIŠNIK* SOCIALNO MATERINSTVO Koncepti državljanstva in argument skrbi pri uveljavljanju žensk v javni sferi na začetku 20. stoletja P Po ov vz ze et te ek k. . Avtorica se v članku ukvarja z vprašanjem, na kakšen način je bil argument skrbi uporabljen pri argumentaciji večjega vključevanja žensk v javno sfero. Skrb je bila uporabljena kot esencialistični argument, zlasti v obdobju konfliktov v družbi, ko se je vloga ženske še okrepila in je bila potreba po skrbi še večja. Ob bok esencialističnemu razumevanju skrbi postavlja sodoben koncept skrbi, ki želi prav tako argumentirati večjo participacijo državljanov in državljank v sferi političnega. Oba koncepta želita redefinirati zasebno-javno, vendar pa sodoben koncept skrbi ravno zaradi svoje ne-normativnosti preprečuje reifikacijo skrbi. Avtorica bo svoje ideje utemeljevala z analizo časopisnih člankov, ki so nastali med letom 1900 in 1918. K Kl lj ju uč čn ne e b be es se ed de e: : zgodovina, politika, skrb, ženske, Slovenija
Abstract
When in Slovenia after the first multi-party election in National Assembly (NA) 1992 the... more Abstract
When in Slovenia after the first multi-party election in National Assembly (NA) 1992 the share of women MPs dropped dramatically and did not changed a lot during the 1990s women activists and left-oriented female politicians started a struggle for an effective measure to improve this situation. First proposals to introduce quotas for internal party bodies and national election came from women in the center and left-wing political parties but with no visible effect for the presence of women in elected political bodies. It was only when legal quotas have been introduced that they brought significant changes in the representation of women in Slovene politics. This paper will focus on the importance of legal and institutional mechanisms that brought up more women in politics in the last elections at all levels but also on the limitations in the functioning of the quota regulations in the Slovene political and institutional context.
Keywords
Slovenia, Quotas, Gender Equality, Women, Legislation
This article discusses the social network surrounding the first editor of the Slovenian women’s j... more This article discusses the social network surrounding the first editor of the Slovenian women’s journal, Slovenka (1897-1902). The authors present the people who created Slovenka and the common interests that connected them. To establish this network, the correspondence to the editorial board of Slovenka and the correspondence of its editor, Marica Nadlišek, were analysed. In addition to these archival materials, the available correspondence of Slovenka’s contributors was examined. In this research, the emancipatory strategies used by the leading Slovenian women of the first of wave feminism in the Slovenian territory can be recognised. Furthermore, the research highlights aspects of the emotional culture and the concept of friendship that developed around the young and progressive part of Slovenian intelligentsia at the turn of the 20th century.
Masculinity in Slovenia since 1945...
Prispevki za novejšo zgodovino
Skrb v službi vojne: bolniške strežnice na Kranjskem IZVLEČEK Že pred začetkom prve svetovne vojn... more Skrb v službi vojne: bolniške strežnice na Kranjskem IZVLEČEK Že pred začetkom prve svetovne vojne je v Avstriji tekla razprava, ali bi bilo primerno pri oskrbi ranjencev vključiti bolniške sestre (v primeru večjega vojaškega obračuna, hujših naravnih katastrof ali epidemij), po izbruhu vojne pa so avstrijske oblasti spodbudile profesionalizacijo poklica medicinske strežnice oziroma medicinske sestre. Z zakonodajo so določile posebne pogoje za šolanje ter odprle prve šole in strežniške tečaje v lokalnih bolnicah. Pri tem ni bila Kranjska no-bena izjema. Rdeči križ je organiziral tečaje za strežnice, katerim so po zaposlitvi obljubili plačo, pokojnino in možnost dopusta. Avstrijska propaganda je »vojaške sestre« upodabljala kot junakinje in vsaj del javnosti jih je dojemal kot poosebitev materinske skrbi in ljubezni, ki jih je postavljala ob bok vojakom − herojem. Toda »vojne sestre« so predstavljale tudi moderno žensko, ki se je uma-knila nadzoru družbe in odšla nevarnosti na bojišču naproti. V javnosti pa so se pojavljali dvomi v njihovo moralnost, saj naj bi imele na fronti neposredne stike z vojaki in bi bile zlasti blizu zdravnikov. S svojo prisotnostjo so posegle v dihotomijo javno/fronta − zasebno/zaledje. V podobi bolniške sestre se tako najbolje razkrijejo nelagodna razmerja med razumevanjem vojne in žensk ter hitro spreminjajoče se vrednotne norme v času vojne. Ključne besede: bolniške sestre, strežnice, prva svetovna vojna, ženske, poklic, morala ABSTRACT HEALTH CARE IN THE SERVICE OF WAR: WAR NURSES IN CARNIOLA Even before World War I an ongoing discussion took place in Austria whether medical nurses should be mobilised to take care for wounded soldiers in case of extensive military conflict, natural disasters or epidemics. After the outbreak of the Great War the Austrian authorities encouraged the professionalisation of nursing, and especially women were invited to join. Special conditions for schooling were enacted and the first courses were opened at local hospitals. In the Austrian Monarchy, Carniola was no exception. The Red Cross organised special courses for nurses with the promise of salary, retirement benefits and possibility of vacation. Austrian propaganda portrayed war nurses as heroines, and at least part of the public perceived them as a personification of motherly care and love which could be compared with the sacrifices of the soldiers. However, war nurses also represented modern women who successfully avoided social control and headed towards imminent danger in the battlefield. In the public doubts about their morality emerged, as nurses had
Prispevki za novejšo zgodovino, 2018
V drugi polovici 19. stoletja so se vzporedno z vzponom meščanstva in njegove morale
načini poroč... more V drugi polovici 19. stoletja so se vzporedno z vzponom meščanstva in njegove morale
načini poročnih izbir začeli znatno spreminjati. Proti koncu 19. stoletja so se ustvarile nove zapovedi in posredne prisile »odgovorne izbire poročnega partnerja oz. partnerke«. V tekstu preko analize slovenskega tiska, literarnih del ter ego dokumentov, predstavljamo tovrstni diskurz. Preko analize vzorca poročenih parov slovenske elite (v Ljubljani in Trstu) pa predstavljamo dejanske poročne izbire slovenske elite.
By considering contemporary Slovene newspapers, literary texts and ego documents
from the turn of the 20th century, the article tries to analyze the discourse of the members of the Slovene elite about “proper marriage”, especially how they discussed marriages with women of other national, social and generational origin. By analyzing a sample of married couples from Ljubljana and Trieste that were part of Slovene elites the article also tries to reconstruct real marriage choices and how often these choices transcended national, social and generational boundaries
Socialno delo, 2016
Uvod Pri nas so različne socialne ustanove in uradi v moških rokah. Kolikor so se žene dosedaj ud... more Uvod Pri nas so različne socialne ustanove in uradi v moških rokah. Kolikor so se žene dosedaj udejstvovale na socialnem polju, se je vršilo na nekak amaterski način -z organizacijo prireditev, s prirejanjem denarnih zbirk in slično. V naprednejših državah pa je to področje že davno v rokah strokovno naobraženih ljudi, predvsem žensk, ki pa so vzposobljene v to (...) na posebnih socialnih šolah. (R. Z. 1932) Navedeni stavki, ki jih je leta 1932 v Jutru zapisala »R. Z.«, nakazujejo (in tega so se med obema vojnama očitno zavedale tudi slovenske avtorice), da se je socialno delo uveljavilo kot »ženski poklic«. K temu je pripomoglo žensko tradicionalno udejstvovanje na dobrodelnem področju in maternalistični nazori, po katerih naj bi bile ženske kot matere »naravno« usposobljene za skrbstveno delo ). Hkrati pa je bilo socialno delo za ženske tudi »nova Načela delovanja ženskih društev so se udejanjili v različnih oblikah pomoči in so bili v kontekstu treh političnih taborov na Slovenskem različno razviti. Toda že pred začetkom prve svetovne vojne so se z Dunaja širile tudi na Slovensko ideje o reformističnem socialnem delu, ki so zaživele na robu slovenskega ozemlja, v Trstu. Razmah dobrodelnega dela in množičnega angažmaja žensk v dobrodelnih društvih v prvi svetovni vojni je sprožil zametke državnega pristopa k socialnem delu, zlasti z angažmajem Alojzije Štebi in Angele Vode. Predvsem Alojzija Štebi je socialno delo razvijala v kontekstu svojega službovanja pri poverjeništvu za socialno skrb narodne vlade SHS v Ljubljani. To delovanje je v članku podrobneje predstavljeno v luči na novo odkritega arhivska gradiva. Ključne besede: socialna politika, zgodovina, institucionalizacija, društva, skrb, zaščita otrok. Doc. dr. Irena Selišnik je na Filozofski fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani zaposlena kot predavateljica na Oddelku za zgodovino. Predava slovensko zgodovino 19. stoletja, izbrana poglavja iz slovenske zgodovine 19. stoletja in zgodovino žensk. Izdala je knjigo Prihod žensk na oder slovenske politike. Kontakt: selisnik2@siol.net. Doc. dr. Ana Cergol Paradiž je zaposlena na Oddelku za zgodovino Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani. Ukvarja se z zgodovino žensk, telesa in znanosti, demografsko zgodovino in socialno zgodovino medicine. Leta 2016 je izšel njen knjižni prvenec Evgenika na Slovenskem. Kontakt: ana.cergolparadiz@ff.uni-lj.si.
During First World War protests, involving especially women, were occurring in many countries. Th... more During First World War protests, involving especially women, were occurring in many countries. They were initially started from the simple need to provide basic supplies, but later, by demanding peace or the improvement of women's broader social situation, they started to gain broader political implication. They were given a big boost especially after the October revolution in 1917, when the initiative for their organization was being increasingly taken over by Social Democratic Parties. In this article, we will try to establish if similar wartime demonstrations were traced in Carniola and the Austrian Littoral, two very different regions of the Austro Hungarian Empire as well and we will comparatively examine them. Especially, we will try to identify how the frequency and structure of these demonstration (in terms of causes, goals, targets of anger, protagonists/participants)variated/changed/developed in relation to:
• geographic location (for example Trieste vs. Ljubljana, centres vs. their pheriphery etc.)
• major war events
Vidnost in nevidnost žensk zgodovina žensk in študije spolov v Sloveniji
Javnost - The Public, 2018
Abstract Članek tematizira začetek in razvoj ženskih študij na Slovenskem in diskontinuitete v ko... more Abstract Članek tematizira začetek in razvoj ženskih študij na Slovenskem in diskontinuitete v kolek-tivnem spominu na žensko gibanje. V tem oziru prikaže razvoj medvojnih ženskih društev in založb ter začetke univerzitetnega raziskovanja »ženskih tem«, premike, ki sta jih povzroči-la druga svetovna vojna in vzpostavljanje socialistične oblasti. Novi režim si je prizadeval za uveljavitev enakosti med spoloma, ni bil pa pripravljen ločeno obravnavati položaja žensk, njihove vloge v družini in v družbi. Kljub pomembnim spremembam je socialistična oblast ohranila patriarhalno logiko, ki se je obnovila tudi po letu 1991. Novi val feminističnega gibanja na Slovenskem je v devetdesetih letih organiziral številne nevladne organizacije in druge feministične iniciative, ki pa so po letu 2005 pojenjale. V zaključnem delu članka avtorici tematizirata umeščanje zgodovine žensk v slovensko historiografijo in ugotavljata pomen institucionalizacije ženskih študij in študij spola v akademskem okolju. Women’s History and Gender Studies in Slovenia. Visibility and Invisibility of Women The article addresses the beginnings and development of women’s studies in Slovene territory and the discontinuity in the collective memory as regards women’s movement. In this respect, it demonstrates the development of women’s societies in the interwar period, publishing houses, and the beginnings of exploring “women’s subject matters,” along with shifts brought about by World War II and the introduction of the socialist authority. The new regime strove to achieve gender equality; however, it was unwilling to engage in a separate discussion of women’s position, their role within the family and in the society. Irrespective of considerable changes, the socialist authority retained the patriarchal logic, which was reinstated also after 1991. The new wave of the feminist movement in Slovenia in the 1990s saw the establishment of many non-governmental organisations and other feminist initiatives, which waned after 2005. In the concluding part, the authors address the inclusion of women’s history in the national historiography and establish the importance of institutionalising women’s studies and gender studies in the academic milieu.
Zgodovinski časopis, 2021
The Austrian monarchy regulated the acquisition of citizenship in the Civil Code of 1811. As argu... more The Austrian monarchy regulated the acquisition of citizenship in the Civil Code of 1811. As argued by many historians, both legislature
and the practice of naturalization as an Austrian citizen were very inclusive. The establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes changed this legislature due to broader all-European processes. Completely new categories, such as race, national belonging, etc., found their way into the concept of regulating citizenship.
The final part of the treatise presents different decisions and logic behind the choices made by a few players
ACTA HISTRIAE, 2021
Domestic service has become a subject of many legislative interventions, nevertheless domestic wo... more Domestic service has become a subject of many legislative interventions, nevertheless domestic work still remains elusive from state policy. At first, domestic workers have been frequently singled out from enjoying rights and protective legislation. However, even if domestic workers were given formal recognition of rights, regulations generally arrived later than for many other workers and didn’t influence on real empowerment of domestic workers. This durable question of their “problematic position” regarding rights and entitlements can be found in “sectoral disadvantage” which is the direct consequence of the past historical categorization, where legal situation of domestic workers is rooted.
Aspasia, 2014
an age of reform reaction 1848 failed absolutism and liberal reform hungary after 1867 austria af... more an age of reform reaction 1848 failed absolutism and liberal reform hungary after 1867 austria after 1867 foreign policy in the final decades bibliography. This article discusses the timing and character of women's philanthropy in Carniola, now part of Slovenia, in the period from 1848 to 1914. Based on primary research, it explores the beginnings of women's work for the poor; the impact of religion, especially Catholicism, on women's involvement in charity; and finally the rise of women's secular social care. I argue that in Carniola, Catholic women's organizations largely filled the space that opened up for women's philanthropic initiatives. By the late nineteenth century, a re-Catholicization of modern industrial society took place, which particularly focused on women, as seen in the phenomenon of the feminization of the Catholic religion. Catholic women's associations started to proliferate; some of these associations were charity associations that introduced new principles to charity work.
Uploads
Conference Presentations by Irena Selisnik
conference presentation by Irena Selisnik
Talks by Irena Selisnik
Več o tem lahko preberete v njenem članku v Zgodovinskem časopisu. Članek je dosegljiv na https://zgodovinskicasopis.si/zc/article/view/3955.
Articles by Irena Selisnik
When in Slovenia after the first multi-party election in National Assembly (NA) 1992 the share of women MPs dropped dramatically and did not changed a lot during the 1990s women activists and left-oriented female politicians started a struggle for an effective measure to improve this situation. First proposals to introduce quotas for internal party bodies and national election came from women in the center and left-wing political parties but with no visible effect for the presence of women in elected political bodies. It was only when legal quotas have been introduced that they brought significant changes in the representation of women in Slovene politics. This paper will focus on the importance of legal and institutional mechanisms that brought up more women in politics in the last elections at all levels but also on the limitations in the functioning of the quota regulations in the Slovene political and institutional context.
Keywords
Slovenia, Quotas, Gender Equality, Women, Legislation
načini poročnih izbir začeli znatno spreminjati. Proti koncu 19. stoletja so se ustvarile nove zapovedi in posredne prisile »odgovorne izbire poročnega partnerja oz. partnerke«. V tekstu preko analize slovenskega tiska, literarnih del ter ego dokumentov, predstavljamo tovrstni diskurz. Preko analize vzorca poročenih parov slovenske elite (v Ljubljani in Trstu) pa predstavljamo dejanske poročne izbire slovenske elite.
By considering contemporary Slovene newspapers, literary texts and ego documents
from the turn of the 20th century, the article tries to analyze the discourse of the members of the Slovene elite about “proper marriage”, especially how they discussed marriages with women of other national, social and generational origin. By analyzing a sample of married couples from Ljubljana and Trieste that were part of Slovene elites the article also tries to reconstruct real marriage choices and how often these choices transcended national, social and generational boundaries
• geographic location (for example Trieste vs. Ljubljana, centres vs. their pheriphery etc.)
• major war events
and the practice of naturalization as an Austrian citizen were very inclusive. The establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes changed this legislature due to broader all-European processes. Completely new categories, such as race, national belonging, etc., found their way into the concept of regulating citizenship.
The final part of the treatise presents different decisions and logic behind the choices made by a few players