Inštitut za narodnostna vprašanja

The Institute for Ethnic Studies (IES) is the successor to the Minority Institute, which was one of the first research institutions of its kind in the world, operating in Ljubljana between 1925 and 1941 and focusing mainly on the status of Slovenes in neighboring countries and the German and Hungarian minorities in Slovenia. When Slovenian territory was occupied, the Institute was “liquidated lest its materials should fall into the hands of occupiers.” However, as early as January 1944, the Scientific Institute was founded on the liberated territory within the Executive Committee of the Liberation Front, which was the only institution of its kind in occupied Europe to continue the work of the Minority Institute. Its department for border issues was transformed into the Institute for Ethnic Studies in 1948. From 1948 to 1956, the Institute worked within the framework of the University of Ljubljana, while since then it has been an independent scientific institution. In 1992, the IES became one of the first public research institutions in Slovenia.

The IES is the oldest research institute for minority and ethnic studies in Europe and traditionally deals with the following topics: ethnicity, ethnic relations and conflicts, nationalism, borders; the Slovenian national question; national minorities, especially the position and status of national and ethnic minorities in Slovenia and of Slovenian ethnic communities in Italy, Austria, Hungary, Croatia and other successor states of the former Yugoslavia; the position and status of immigrants, migration and integration policies in Slovenia; international regulation and protection of human rights, especially the rights of national minorities; case studies and comparative studies of ethnicity in Europe and worldwide; the work in the fields of minority studies, ethnic studies and human rights. In this context, particular attention has been paid to the participation of ethnic minorities in political decision-making processes - especially in South Eastern Europe, but also worldwide. As part of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, the International Center for Interethnic Relations and Minorities in South Eastern Europe was established at the IES in 2001.

Institute for Ethnic Studies is a public research institute and has six organizational units:

• Research Unit, the central unit of the Institute, carries out most research activities and is internally organized in research programme and project teams that often involve also researchers and scholars from other institutions;
• International Center for Interethnic Relations and Minorities in South Eastern Europe that includes individuals from other units and collaborators from diverse institutions (mostly from Europe);
• Branch office Lendava – Lendvai Kutatócsoport;
• Branch office Reka;
• Specialized Information and Documentation (INDOC) Center with a rich specialized library and archives;
• Administrative unit/service.

The IES, its International Center, INDOC and its researchers have developed extensive and intensive international cooperation. The Institute has established an extensive international network of partner institutions, mostly research and higher education institutions, and scholars in the field of minority and ethnic studies throughout Europe and worldwide.

An important part of the international cooperation of the IES is the participation of the Institute and its researchers in various foreign, international and European projects.

Researchers dealing with the Holocaust will find the research material and the results of the project “Jews and antisemitism in Slovenia: Holocaust and eradicated memory” project conducted at the Institute for Ethnic Studies (http://www.inv.si/Dokumenti/dokumenti.aspx?iddoc=284&idmenu1=114&lang=slo), particularly useful. The collection of interviews was conducted between 2004–2007 and the recordings of the interviews (with Yoel Shachar: From tha camp, part 1 and part 2; Alex Ripp: After the war; Greta Gutman: Journey to Auschwitz; and Alice Gruenwald: Hope) and other multimedia content are available via http://www.inv.si/psja/spomin/ljudje.htm.

INDOC Center: The specialized INDOC Center with library is part of the Institute. It is the central facility for the collection of materials on ethnic studies in Slovenia. The library is one of the best equipped libraries in its field. The advantage of the center is that it offers its users materials from the field of ethnic issues in the form of newspaper clippings, journals, monographs, research results and historical archives in one place. The library contains over 38,000 monographs and periodicals.

Library: The collection of books and archives began even before the Minority Institute was founded in 1925; later, the book collections of the Department for Border Issues of the Scientific Institute were added, which were collected during and immediately after the Second World War. After 1948, the Institute acquired not only current materials, but also some other older archive holdings from the interwar period.

Today, the rich and nationally significant funds (500 files) includes, among other things Archives of the Office for the Occupied Territory (1918-1921), Archives of the Interallied Plebiscite Commission, the SHS (State of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) in Ljubljana (1918-1920), Archives of the Commission for the Peace Conference with the National Government of the SHS in Ljubljana (1918-20), Archives of the National Council for Carinthia in Volkermarkt/Velikovec (1919-1920), the Carinthian Plebiscite (1920), the Paris Peace Treaty (1947) as well as personal archives of important cultural and political representatives of the Slovenes in the neighboring countries. Particularly noteworthy is the archive of Dr. Josip Vilfan (over 40 files), which was previously kept in the Ljubljana Historical Archives and is now available again at the IES. Recently, the library was expanded by a donation of books on the crisis in former Yugoslavia.

Historical archives: During the 70 years of its existence, the Institute for Ethnic Studies has collected rich and nationally important archival materials, comprising about 500 files of historical and 200 files of current documents.

List of more important funds:

• Carinthian plebiscite 1920 • Archives of the Office for the Occupied Territories, Ljubljana, 1918-1921 • Archives of the Inter-Allies plebiscite commission, Section SCS, 1920 • Archives of the District Office of Borovlje/Ferlach, 1919-1920 • Archives of the Peace Conference Commission with the National Government of the SCS in Ljubljana, 1918-1920 • The Mačkovšek Archives • Archives of the National Council of Velikovec/Völkermarkt • Paris Peace Conference 1947 • Ivan Rozman's Archives • Dr. J. Vilfan's Archives • Archives of the dr. Justa Pertota • Archives of theAndreja Gabrščka • Archives of the G. Golia • Pariška konferenca 1919 • Dr. J. Goričar's Archives • Documents on fascist oppression, 1918-1941 • Scientific Institute with the SNLC Archives, 1941-1945 • Archives of the Scientific Institute - Department for Border Issues, 1945–1948 • IES Archives, the Slovene Littoral Region Department • Archives of the Lava Čermelja