ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Conference Panels

Legal Status of Ethnic Communities

Chair: Dr. Mitja Žagar

Shaping Minority Protection Standards: The Role of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention
Ljubica Djordjević & Meyeti Payet, ECMI - European Centre for Minority Issues, Germany
The “erased” and the ECHR case law on citizenship
Ana Vilfan Vospernik, European Court for Human Rights, France
Challenges in regulating the legal status of national minorities in Slovenia
Vera Klopčič, Slovenia
The EU Parliament and its role in the protection and promotion of national and linguistic minorities
Craig Willis, ECMI – European Centre for Minority Issues, Germany
David Smith, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom

Historical Aspects of Ethnicity

Chair: Dr. Danijel Grafenauer

The Development of Slovenian Culture in Gorizia in the Pre-World War I Period Robert Devetak, Institute for Ethnic Studies, Slovenia
Exploring Slovenian ethnic identity in pre-modern times: between constructivist and cultural-historical approaches Vanja Kočevar, ZRC SAZU – Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia
Hungarians in Vukovar During the Austro-Hungarian Period Denis Njari, University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Croatia
Between violence and identity preservation: Slovenes in Austrian Carinthia and British Efforts to Restore Ethnic Balance in the First Years after the Second World War (1945-1947) Ane Marie Herceg & Gorazd Bajc, University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts, Slovenia

Ethnic Data Collection

Chair: Dr. Tamara Trošt

Ethnic data collection in Slovakia: challenges and limitations
Svetluša Surová, Minority Issues Research Institute, Slovakia
Language and ethnicity in German censuses Astrid Adler, Leibniz Institute for the German Language, Germany
Spatial Dimension of Ethno-Demographic Processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Breakup of Yugoslavia
Vladimir Nikitović, Institute of Social Sciences, Serbia
Sanja Klempić Bogadi, Institute for Migration Research, Croatia Branislav Bajat, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Collecting Ethnicity Data: Purpose, Operationalization, and Methods
Alenka Verša, SLORI - Slovenian Research Institute, Italy

Ethnicity in Border Regions

Chair: Dr. Barbara Riman

Croatian-Slovenian Border Parallels along the Kolpa River - From Žumberak and Bela krajina to Kočevska and Gorski Kotar Damir Josipovič, Institute for Ethnic Studies, Slovenia Filip Škiljan & Marina Perić Kaselj, Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies, Croatia
Language – Trauma – Ethnicity Daniel Wutti, University of Teacher Education Carinthia, Austria
Spatiality as a fundamental category of minority literature
Jadranka Cergol, University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities, Slovenia
Traditional ethnic minorities and human-induced environmental degradation in two Eastern European border regions Giustina Selvelli, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Conceptualisation of National and Ethnic Minorities

Chair: Dr. Ljubica Djordjević

Conceptualization of minorities in the practice of the UN treaty bodies – a case study from Central and Eastern Europe Noémi Nagy, Institute for Ethnic Studies, Slovenia
Conceptualization of National Minorities in the Context of their Political Participatory Rights in Serbia
Katinka Beretka, Dr Lazar Vrkatić Faculty of Legal and Business Studies, Serbia
A reflection on the definition of Slovene emigration
Anja Moric, ZRC SAZU – Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia
European citizenship in perspective of national identities Uroš Pinterič, ZIS Pomurje – Pomurje Science and Innovation Centre, Slovenia

Ethnicity and Language

Chair: Dr. Sabina Zorčič

Ethnolinguistic Vitality of collateral language communities in Poland. A sociolinguistic approach Nicole Dołowy-Rybińska, Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Slavic Studies, Poland
Linguistic identity and language policy. The case of the protection and promotion of Friulan language Michele Gazzola, Ulster University, United Kingdom
Repercussions of Language Ideologies and Policy on Linguistic Diversity in Georgia Nona Tatiashvili, Tbilisi State University, Georgia
The status of Mirandese in the Iberian Peninsula: a comparative study
Cláudia Martins & Joana Aguiar, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal
Sérgio Ferreira, University of Porto, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Portugal
Ethnolinguistic Vitality Revisited: A social dynamic approach to sustainability Conchúr Ó Giollagáin, University of the Highlands and Islands, United Kingdom

Ethnic Identities and Diversity in Contemporary Times

Chair: Dr. Giustina Selvelli

Fluid perceptions of ethnicity: How to define the German minority in Latvia?
Heiko F. Marten, Leibniz Institute for the German Language, Germany
Ethnic and Linguistic Declarations: Two [Distinct?] Dimensions of Minority Identities in Poland’s National Censuses Tomasz Wicherkiewicz, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland
Shaping Ethnic and Linguistic Identities: Naming Practices and Religious Decisions in Ethnically Mixed Hungarian-Serb Families in Vojvodina Karolina Lendák-Kabók, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
Safeguarding Identity Through Education: The Role of Bilingual Educational Models in Minority Language Preservation Lara Sorgo, Attila Kovács & Katalin Hirnök Munda, Institute for Ethnic Studies, Slovenia
Patterns of national identity among minority Hungarian youth Csilla Zsigmond & Attila Pap, HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Minority Studie, Hungary

Migration and Integration

Chair: Dr. Damir Josipovič

Invisible Migrants: Slovenian Domestic Workers and Their Associations in Interwar Croatia Barbara Riman, Institute for Ethnic Studies, Slovenia
Lived Migration Experiences of Immigrant Women in Portugal
Patricia Silva & Henrique Pereira, University of Beira Interior, Portugal
Ethnic Discrimination in Slovenia: Nationalism, Hate Speech, and the Challenges of Measuring Inequality Veronika Bajt, Peace Institute, Slovenia
The Participation Paradox: Immigrants’ Civic and Political Engagement and Majority Attitudes in Slovenia Janez Pirc, Mojca Medvešek & Romana Bešter, Institute for Ethnic Studies, Slovenia

Dimensions of Ethnic and Minority Identities

Chair: Dr. Lara Sorgo

Measuring Ethnic Identities in the Social Sciences: Challenges and Recent Methodological Advances
Tamara Trošt, University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business, Slovenia
Elena Gadjanova, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
Politics of Ethnic (Im-)Mobilization: Russian Compatriots in the Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
Görkem Atsungur & Buğra Güngör, American University of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan
Ethnically marked choices in the Ukrainian-Hungarian intermarriages in Ukraine permeated by Hungary’s kin-state politics Patrik Tátrai, Viktória Ferenc, Julianna Kohut-Ferki, Katalin Kovály, József Molnár, HUN-REN CSFK Geographical Institute, Hungary
The fraught recognition of the group dimension of minorities’ fundamental rights: exploring the differences between linguistic and religious rights Kristin Henrard, Brussels School of Governance, Belgium

Contemporary Challenges in Roma Communities

Chair: Dr. Vera Klopčič

The scent of prejudice: Olfactory-based discrimination against Roma in Slovenia Mojca Ramšak, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Slovenia
Protective and risk factors for the psychosocial health of Roma and non-Roma communities living in poverty in Portugal Jóni Ledo, University of Beira Interior, Portugal
The Role of Ethnic and Identity Capital: Educational Support Programs’ Impact on Identity Formation and Labour Market Outcomes of First-in-Family Roma Graduates in Hungary Zsanna Nyírő & Judit Durst, HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary
Understanding antigypsyism in Europe
Andreja Zevnik, University of Manchester, United Kingdom Andrew Russell, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
Exploring Language Competence of Roma Children in the Slovene Education System Sabina Zorčič & Mojca Medvešek, Institute for Ethnic Studies, Slovenia

Political Participation of National Minorities

Chair: Dr. Janez Pirc

Local politics in minority-majority cities: the case of Narva Vello Pettai, ECMI – European Centre for Minority Issues, Germany
The Slovene Minority Political Elites in Italy on the Go: What’s Next? Zaira Vidau, SLORI – Slovenian Research Institute, Italy
The issue of parliamentary representation of national minorities in the practice of the ECtHR Balázs Kiss, ELTE Faculty of Law, Hungary
Political Participation of Slovene Communities and National Minorities in the Neighboring Countries of the Republic of Slovenia
Mitja Žagar & Danijel Grafenauer, Institute for Ethnic Studies, Slovenia

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

DAY 1 – THURSDAY, 15 MAY 2025

Time	Activity
8:30-9:00	Arrival and registration
9:00-9:30	Welcome and introductory speeches
9:30-10:30	The (Evolving) Legal Status of Ethnic Communities Keynote speech by Francesco Palermo and plenary discussion
10:30-11:00	Coffee break
11:00-12:30	PANELS
12:30-14:00	Lunch break
14:00-15:00	Integration into Diversity. A new theoretical framework for European diverse cities. Keynote speech by Maurice Crul and plenary discussion
15:00-15:30	Coffee break
15:30-17:00	PANELS
18:00	Conference dinner

DAY 2 – FRIDAY, 16 MAY 2025

Time	Activity
9:00-10:00	The Importance of Researching Ethnicity: A Personal Perspective Keynote speech by Sonja Novak Lukanović and plenary discussion
10:00-10:30	Coffee break
10:30-12:00	PANELS
12:00-12:30	Plenary: Conference conclusions
12:30-13:30	Farewell drink
14:00-16:00	Guided tour through Ljubljana

Organisers reserve the right to change the details or specifications of the conference in order to provide the best conditions of quality and safety for participants.

Key dates and deadlines

Abstract submissions: 15 January 2025
Notification of abstract acceptance: 15 February 2025
Conference registration: 15 February - 15 March 2025
Payment of conference fee: 31 March 2025
Conference: 15-16 May 2025
Submission of papers for journal publication: June 2025

Registration and registration fee

Registration for the conference will open on 15 February 2025 and close on 15 March 2025.

The registration fee for participating in the conference is €150 and includes

Conference venue & accommodation

The Conference will be taking place at City Hotel Ljubljana at Dalmatinova 15, Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is located in the very centre of Ljubljana and is only a 5-minute walk from Prešeren Square, a popular meeting point for locals and tourists alike.

There are several accommodation options in Ljubljana, but if you would like to stay at the conference hotel, City Hotel Ljubljana offers special rates to conference participants. Upon registering for the conference, please reach out to us so we can provide you with the booking link reserved for conference participants.

Getting to Ljubljana:

Ljubljana is located at the heart of Slovenia. For more information on how to reach us by train, car or plane, please consult the official tourism website for Ljubljana.

Conference venue & accommodation

Getting to Ljubljana:

Ljubljana is located at the heart of Slovenia. For more information on how to reach us by train, car or plane, please consult the official tourism website for Ljubljana.

Scientific Committee

The conference is supported and organised by the following researchers from the Institute for Ethnic Studies:

If you need more information about the conference, please contact Livija Marko from the conference organising committee at
ethnicity-conference@inv.si.