Recent demographic trends in the northern borderland between Italy and Slovenia: Stabilization or further redistribution of population?

Abstract

The contribution presents findings from the research on a constitution of new ethnic identities in Alps-Adriatic region. The key question dealt here with was to which extent the recent demographical processes impact the peripheral, mountainous, and ethnically specific cross-border region between Slovenia and Italy. In lay and professional discourse there is still omnipresent mentality of extinguishing Slovene minority in Italy. Applying various demographical methods the article resolves the demographical processes and quantifies the extent of the local Slovene speakers. The author argues that the recent demographical processes of heavy depopulation tend to stabilize towards stagnation. Depopulation is stronger in the Slovenian part of the region, though the traditional Slovene-speaking areas in Italy aren't as threatened as the adjacent Friulian areas. New migration trends along with the generally low fertility contribute to changes in traditional dualistic structure and bring refreshment to remote parts of the border region as well.Izvleček: Prispevek predstavlja izsledke raziskave o konstituciji novih etničnih identitet v prostoru Alpe-Jadran. Temeljno vprašanje, ki ga prispevek razrešuje, je, na kakšen način aktualni demografski procesi vplivajo na prekomejno periferno gorsko območje, ki je zaznamovano tudi z etničnimi specifikami. V strokovnem in laičnem diskurzu je še vedno močno prisotna miselnost, da slovenska manjšina na italijanski strani meje izumira.Članek preko aplikacije različnih demografskih metod opredeli trenutne demografske procese in tudi kvantitativno oceni stanje slovenske manjšine in prebivalstva v tem območju sploh. Avtor ugotavlja, da recentni demografski procesi ne znižujejo števila prebivalcev tako močno kot v preteklosti. Depopulacija je sicer močnejša na slovenski strani meje, vendar na italijanski strani meje območja tradicionalne slovenske poseljenosti niso bolj ogrožena od sosednjih furlanskih. Novi migracijski trendi ob splošni nizki rodnosti pa prispevajo k spremembi tradicionalnih dualističnih razmerij in prinašajo demografsko osvežitev tudi v bolj odročne predele.

Livek: A Mountainous Border Area’s Transformation from a Ski Paradise to a Resilient Community

“…Such development is particularly remarkable, considering that most neighbouring villages and hamlets across the border in Italy have been facing pronounced depopulation for decades, with some examples of complete abandonment. Such a trend is evident on the Slovenian side as well (Josipovič 2014 ). Conversely, in the Livek area, the residents endured and stopped the process.…”

“…The second life-changing border was established in 1866, when the entire Venetian Province, except Livek, was incorporated into the newly established Kingdom of Italy. The imposition of this boundary ultimately prevented the Slovenian population of the Venetian province in Italy (i.e., the Venetian Slovenians) from unifying with their linguistic kin in Slovenia (Josipovič 2014 ). Livek remained on the border of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy until the end of the First World War, during which the border was the battle line of the infamous Isonzo Front.…”

Identity and Discursive Practices of Friulians and Slovenes in the Province of Udine, Italy, in Recent Decades.

“…Namely, as the data show, that the whole region of FVG is a territory of in-migration ever since the fall of Berlin Wall (Josipović 2014: 59, Salimbeni 2014. All four provinces of FVG have experienced a migratory burst in the last decade (Josipović 2014: 60) 14 with the Province of Udine having the highest share of foreign population in total population of Region FVG (Josipović 2014: 60, tab.…”

“…Due to different living conditions a new form of coexistence will emerge that will no longer be attached to local territory, but it will be up to social groups as to whether the use of Slovenian will be preserved in interpersonal communication or not. Namely, as contemporary trends show (and which was already typical in the past), the problem of Slavia Veneta is not the existence of a Slovenian minority but depopulation of the traditionally Slovene mountain villages, caused by high birth deficits and emigration (Steinicke et al 2015, Josipović 2014. However, in contrast to bygone eras, when emigration flowed to more distant places in Friuli and predominantly to Belgium and Friulians have to face the same problems as Slovenes, i.e.…”

Vienna’s South-Eastern Hinterlands: Regional Development in the Austrian-Hungarian Border Area, 1910–2011

“…Analyses of international border areas have always been distinct aspects of rural studies, deserving of ongoing scholarly interest in the field (Kladivo et al 2012;Dołzbłasz 2013;Marot 2013). Theoretically, the changing role of borders is a major driver of regional processes (Bufon 2013), partly in connection with deagrarianization, urban-suburban development (Čede et al 2018; Viñas 2019), depopulation and deprivation (Damyanovic, Reinwald 2014;Josipovič 2014;Fischer, Born 2018;Vaishar et al 2020). The border region of this study also illustrates the numerous changes to the border in the functional and symbolic sense (Martinez 1994;Bufon 2013; Sendhardt 2013).…”