Slovenians as an “Imagined Community” in Sixteenth-Century Protestant Writings

Bibliographic Data

ID24227603
AuthorsVanja Kočevar (0000-0002-1177-2319, Vanja Kočevar, ZRC SAZU, Zgodovinski inštitut Milka Kosa , Ljubljana , Slovenija)
Year2026
Volume96
Issue96
Pages45-89
Publication date2026-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTreatises and Documents Journal of Ethnic Studies / Razprave in Gradivo Revija za narodnostna vprašanja (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0354-0286 • E-ISSN: 1854-5181
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.2478/tdjes-2026-0002
OpenAlexW7167231877
LanguageEN
References cited29

The paper discusses Slovenian collective ethnic identity in the 16th century through the lens of Benedict Anderson’s concept of imagined communities. It is based on texts by Slovenian Protestant writers (1550–1595) and on so called neutral sources. The topic is addressed in eight thematic sections: 1) the Slovenian ethnonym, 2) self-identification with the Slovenian ethnic community, 3) integral markers of the Slovenian ethnic space, 4) the concept of the “Church of God of the Slovenian Language”, 5) the myth of ethnic chosenness, 6) the beginnings of national discourse, 7) the history of the Slovenians, and 8) the topos of the widespread use of the Slovenian or Slavic language. The research shows that self-identification with the Slovenian ethnic community was present among the wider population, even though the ideas of Protestant writers were confined to the educated elite. It further demonstrates that, in the second half of the 16th century, the Slovenian ethnic community fulfilled Anderson’s criteria of an imagined community, except for sovereignty.

16th century · Benedict Anderson · Ethnic identity · imagined community · national discourse · Slovene language · Slovenian national identity · Central European national history · Cultural History and Identity Formation · European Cultural and National Identity

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