Emotions in Focus: Case Studies from the Territory between the Alps and the North Adriatic

Today, there is a growing interest in research on the history of emotions, which represents an innovative field of historical research. The aim of the project is to contribute to this complex and important research field with in-depth case studies. 

The project, focused specifically on emotions, has two complementary objectives:

• to contribute to the history of emotions with in-depth case studies;
• to stimulate the study of the history of emotions in Slovenian historiography.

The research work will focus on case studies from the territory between the Alps and the North Adriatic and on the time span between the Early Modern Period and the first half of the 20th century. It will be carried out in parallel within two modules: the first module will focus on the time from the Early Modern Period to the 19th century, and the second module will cover the first half of the 20th century. The two modules cover different historical periods and selected historical sources written in different languages (diary entries or, rather, records of contemporary events for private use and correspondence) from the territory between the Alps and the North Adriatic. These sources may be particularly relevant for exploring emotions.

A particular challenge to the research work on the history of emotions is posed by the methodological issues of this rapidly developing research field. Different methodologies of the history of emotions and perspectives of border studies and microhistory can support the research work on the primary historical sources.

The case studies and the project collaboration of experts in different historical periods provide a great opportunity to encourage an exchange of views among researchers about the approaches, methodologies, and challenges in studying emotions in the past. Rather than being limited to only one emotion, the research will treat the topic of emotions in general. This represents an important advantage of the project, as it strives for a comprehensive treatment of emotions in historical perspective. The project will comprise not only research work but also dissemination to bring the project topic closer to a wider audience.