Comparative Literature in Slovenia

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture ISSN 1481-4374 Purdue University Press ©Purdue University Volume 2 (2000) Issue 4 Article 11 Comparative Literature in Slovenia Kristof Jacek Kozak University of Alberta Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb Part of the Comparative Literature Commons, and the Critical and Cultural Studies Commons Dedicated to the dissemination of scholarly and professional information, Purdue University Press selects, develops, and distributes quality resources in several key subject areas for which its parent university is famous, including business, technology, health, veterinary medicine, and other selected disciplines in the humanities and sciences. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, the peer-reviewed, full-text, and open-access learned journal in the humanities and social sciences, publishes new scholarship following tenets of the discipline of comparative literature and the field of cultural studies designated as "comparative cultural studies." Publications in the journal are indexed in the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (Chadwyck-Healey), the Arts and Humanities Citation Index (Thomson Reuters ISI), the Humanities Index (Wilson), Humanities International Complete (EBSCO), the International Bibliography of the Modern Language Association of America, and Scopus (Elsevier). The journal is affiliated with the Purdue University Press monograph series of Books in Comparative Cultural Studies. Contact: <> Recommended Citation Kozak, Kristof Jacek. "Comparative Literature in Slovenia." CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 2.4 (2000): <https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.1094> This text has been double-blind peer reviewed by 2+1 experts in the field. The above text, published by Purdue University Press ©Purdue University, has been downloaded 2344 times as of 11/ 07/19. Note: the download counts of the journal's material are since Issue 9.1 (March 2007), since the journal's format in pdf (instead of in html 1999-2007). This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact for additional information. This is an Open Access journal. This means that it uses a funding model that does not charge readers or their institutions for access. Readers may freely read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles. This journal is covered under the CC BY-NC-ND license. UNIVERSITY PRESS <http://www.thepress.purdue.edu> CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture ISSN 1481-4374 <http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb> Purdue University Press ©Purdue University CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, the peer-reviewed, full-text, and open-access learned journal in the humanities and social sciences, publishes new scholarship following tenets of the discipline of comparative literature and the field of cultural studies designated as "comparative cultural studies." In addition to the publication of articles, the journal publishes review articles of scholarly books and publishes research material in its Library Series. Publications in the journal are indexed in the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (Chadwyck-Healey), the Arts and Humanities Citation Index (Thomson Reuters ISI), the Humanities Index (Wilson), Humanities International Complete (EBSCO), the International Bibliography of the Modern Langua-ge Association of America, and Scopus (Elsevier). The journal is affiliated with the Purdue University Press monog-raph series of Books in Comparative Cultural Studies. Contact: <> Volume 2 Issue 4 (December 2000) Article 11 Kristof Jacek Kozak, "Comparative Literature in Slovenia" <http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb/vol2/iss4/11> Contents of CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 2.4 (2000) <http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb/vol2/iss4/> Abstract: In his article, "Comparative Literature in Slovenia," Kristof Jacek Kozak provides a historical overview of the practice of theory in the discipline of comparative literature in Slovenia. Despite its small size and relative low profile, Slovenia is taken as an exemplar within comparative literature scholarship. Kozak observes that the development of comparative literature in Slovenia may be characterized by an attempt to both arbitrate and mediate between distinct poles. On the one hand, Slovenian scholarship has felt the need to secure or determine itself in accordance with its own interests and concerns. On the other hand, it has recognized the need to be in accord with various movements and determinations across national borders. This situation is primarily mediated via the accounts of Janko Kos, a prominent scholar of the field. Via Kos, Kozak traces the origins of comparative literature to various theoretical movements and counter movements, as practiced by principle theoreticians. Whilst a methodological pluralism has emerged, there is resistance to an "anything goes" approach in Kos's thought as well as by Slovene comparatists in general. This situation is highlighted by the occurrence of recurrent issues, questions, and problems, and the article converges around movements between distinct legacies and poles. Kristof Jacek Kozak, "Comparative Literature in Slovenia" page 2 of 12 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 2.4 (2000): <http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb/vol2/iss4/11> Kristof Jacek KOZAK Comparative Literature in Slovenia The first and foremost problem of any (scholarly) endeavor in Slovenia is the size of the country. It is inhabited by only two million people whose lives pass by almost unnoticed by other larger nations. This fact per force limits the scope and horizon of its professional endeavors when compared with other European countries. Consequently, any scholarly activity undertaken by such a small nation is left to oscillate or arbitrate between potentially mutually exclusive poles. On the one hand, between a comfortable and self satisfied inwardness and self reliance. On the other hand, between an uncomfortable, aggressive and, quite frankly, uncharacteristic openness to the "outside" world. Irrespective of the size of a country, however, any scholarly venture must constantly reassert its distinctiveness, uniqueness and the essential differences of its own particular field. A nation with a small population finds itself asking questions concerning the adequacy or relevance of its own research, especially how (if at all) it can or should relate to the rest of the world. Thus, any area of research in Slovenia has to establish and prove itself within these rather narrow national boundaries and simultaneously define itself as equal to that of any other nation. Consequently, comparative literature in Slovenia is no exception when it comes to answering these questions. It, too, strives to define its distinctive features, to catch up, and to be in accord with the latest scholarly currents in th (...truncated)