Slovenia

Born in 1992 in Postojna, Slovenia
Mateja is a student of Public Relations and M arketing in Ljubljana (Slovenia). During the summer holidays she is working in a small company, helping in marketing and sales department.

"The Emancipation of Slovenia" (2011)

Mateja researched the affairs leading to the downfall of Yugoslavia and the later emancipation of Slovenia in connection with the death of Josip Broz Tito. Her research also provides an insight on the range and forms of Titostalgia (nostalgia for Tito) in contemporary Slovenia.

During the process, different methods of research work were used. Mateja and her group used an interview as a method of collecting data for persons who lived in Yugoslavia, as the group assumed these generations prefer to talk about their past rather than tick their answers.

For younger generations, they used questionnaires which they distributed via the social network Facebook, as the internet allows numerous new forms of research. They also analysed various texts, pictures and graphs.

Their research work led them to different findings: The death of Josip Broz Tito actively affected the downfall of Yugoslavia and the emancipation of Slovenia. The crisis in which Yugoslavia found itself in after the death of Tito contributed to Slovenia’s attainment of independence.

They also found out that Titostalgia (nostalgia for Tito) is still very much present in Slovenia, especially among older generations, who still hold Tito in high esteem. In addition, Tito is also very popular among younger generations who regard him as a man of revolution as well as protector of common people. Anyhow, Tito is regarded as an important historical figure who indirectly influenced the emancipation of Slovenia and the fact Slovenes have a country of their own.

Mateja entered her group’s work in the 2010/2011 Slovenian competition round "The Paths towards Independence"