The Sense of National Belonging in Rijeka after WWI: Between Passion and Indifference

Name: The Sense of National Belonging in Rijeka after WWI: Between Passion and Indifference
Start: 2024-11-18T18:00:00+01:00
Location: Austriackie Forum Kultury / Österreichisches Kulturforum Warschau

Schedule

Mon Nov 18 2024 at 06:00 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Austriackie Forum Kultury / Österreichisches Kulturforum Warschau | Warsaw, MZ

Natka Badurina from the University of Udine will give the second lecture within the lecture series on "Local Communities at the Slavic-Italian-German Borderland and the Legacy of the Habsburg Monarchy".
About the lecture: Gabriele D’Annunzio’s occupation of Rijeka (September 1919 – January 1921) confronts the professions dealing with it – historiography, memory studies, literary studies – with the problem of very different, often conflicting and mutually exclusive interpretations. Traditional narratives about the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire usually focus on the rise of national sentiments among its former peoples. The occupation of Rijeka is typically framed as a clash between Italian and Croatian/Yugoslav nationalisms, leading to memory wars, political tensions, and diplomatic incidents that persist to this day. However, recent scholarship seeks to move beyond strictly national categories, revealing habits, attitudes, practices, and emotions that remain deeply tied to the Empire’s legacy. This lecture will explore the benefits and limitations of using "national indifference" to understand the case of post-WWI Rijeka. By drawing on the history of emotions and examples from memoirs, diaries, and literary works, it will expand the discussion of "national sentiment" vs. "national indifference" to include a broader spectrum of emotions—ranging from boredom and indifference to enthusiasm, love, disappointment, anger, hatred, resentment, resignation, and depression.