Tradition and its re-producers

Tradition is a central concept in ethnology and folklore studies. This anthropologically universal phenomenon enables appropriate identification and affiliation for an individual or a group/community. Like other phenomena, tradition is in constant dialogue with culturally innovative, and therefore it is not possible to equate it with the past or with history; it is a historical vestige but also simultaneously a contemporary phenomenon. In Europe and throughout the world “small” traditions have been increasingly becoming an alternative to globalization. In Slovenia, the search for and reliance on tradition became more pronounced after the mid-1980s, when, because of specific circumstances, this first appeared in considerations of the special features of national identity and viability, which contributed to a reevaluation of folk culture or previously marginalized traditional features and practices. Following independence, reference to tradition strengthened in connection with outward recognition of Slovenia, and also increasingly in the multifunctional expression of local, regional, and other collective identifications.

In reflecting on tradition, at least three discourses are important: 1. professional (scholarly, technical), 2. non-professional (amateur and performance practices), and 3. media discourse. This project primarily focuses on the second one. The analysis and interpretation will make it possible to better comprehend individuals’ perceptions and images of the world and the role and significance that tradition holds in it, their self-understanding in the triad of professional/lay/popular discourse, and each individual’s creativity and role in re-creating tradition.