Sociology of Gender

The aim of this course is to acquaint students with the sociology of gender from a historical, theoretical and methodological perspective. The historical perspective will provide insight into the economic, intellectual, literary, artistic and cultural definitions of socially acceptable gender roles in the past and present in Slovenia and beyond. The second perspective constitutes a theoretical framework and engages methodological – analytical tools for understanding structural-social determinants that are key for comprehending the role of women and men in society.

The course is vertically integrated with other literary-historical formations in core courses on Slovenian literature and relates to undergraduate studies as a whole by making sense of it from the perspective of gender politics.

The content of the course is both historically and theoretically analytical. The role of gender in society and culture is presented in the broader context of historical changes in the role of women in Europe with special emphasis on the last two: the efforts and struggle of women concerning their right to education, work and political participation; employment and work of women as the key element in the economic survival of families; mythologies and legends about the weaker sex as the economically, socially and emotionally discriminated half of humanity.

This choice of study of literature and this way of working in lectures and tutorials offers possibilities of individual research and theoretical projects to students, which can significantly contribute to enriching the still-insufficient body of knowledge on the position and role of women in Slovenia and to the understanding of social transformations in light of gender politics.

• Erna Muser, Vida Zavrl (ured.), FKL Žensko koncentracijsko taborišče Ravensbruck. Ljubljana: Partizanska knjiga, 1971.
• Liz Stanley, The Auto/biographical I, The theory and practice of feminist auto/biography. Manchester, New York: Manchester University Press, 1995. Catalogue
• Luce Irigaray, Jaz, ti, me, mi. Ljubljana: Znanstveno in publicistično središče, 1995. Catalogue
• Eva D. Bahovec (ured.), Od ženskih študij k feministični teoriji, Ljubljana: Časopis za kritiko znanosti, 1993.
• Mary Molek, Immigrant Woman. Delaware: Dover, 1976.
• Slavenka Drakulić, Kot da me ni, Ljubljana: Aleph, 2002. Catalogue
• Christine de Pizan, Mesto dam, Ljubljana: Delta, 1999.
• Mary Wollstonecraft, Zagovor pravic ženske, Ljubljana: Krt, 1992.Catalogue
• Darja Zaviršek (ur.), Spolno nasilje. Feministične raziskave za socialno delo, Ljubljana: Visoka šola za socialno delo, 1996
• Marta Verginella, Ženska obrobja. Vpis žensk v zgodovino Slovencev. Ljubljana: Delta, 2006.
• Marta Verginella, Zgodovina žensk ali ženska zgodovina?. In: A. ŽIŽEK (ed.): Ženske skozi zgodovino. Ljubljana: Zveza zgodovinskih društev Slovenije, 2004. E-version
• Kavčič, Silvija. Preživele smo in spominjamo se. Slovenske jetnice v ženskem koncentracijskem taborišču Ravensbruck. Ljubljana: ZAK, 2008. Catalogue

Active participation in lectures and seminars
Oral defense of written examination paper
Written examination paper

Assoc. Prof. Mirjam Milharčič Hladnik, PhD is a research advisor at the Slovenian Migration Institute at the Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana. She is also an associate professor at the University of Ljubljana and University of Nova Gorica and visiting professor at the University of Oldenburg and University of Stavanger. Her main research and study interests are wide and interdisciplinary. Sociology: school reform policies, citizenship education, human rights and integration of migrants. Gender studies: gender inequalities, historical cases of the erased (socially and politically important) women in Slovenia, and women migrants. Migration studies: interdisciplinary approaches and innovative methodology, ranging from oral history to analyses of correspondence and auto/biographic texts.

Selected articles:

• MILHARČIČ-HLADNIK, Mirjam. Historical and narrative perspective of Slovenian women migrants' experiences : social networking, gender priorities, and questions of identity. V: DRNOVŠEK, Marjan (ur.). Historical and cultural perspectives on Slovenian migration, (Migracije, 14). Ljubljana: ZRC Publishing, Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, 2007, str. 113-136.
• MILHARČIČ-HLADNIK, Mirjam. Long live America, where women are first!. V: LUKŠIČ-HACIN, Marina (ur.), MLEKUŽ, Jernej (ur.). Go girls! : when Slovenian women left home, (Migracije, Migrantke, 19, 2). Ljubljana: ZRC Publishing: = Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU, 2009, str. 109-132.
• MILHARČIČ-HLADNIK, Mirjam. Moje misli so bile pri vas doma : poti prehodov v pismih. V: MILHARČIČ-HLADNIK, Mirjam (ur.), MLEKUŽ, Jernej (ur.). Krila migracij : po meri življenjskih zgodb, (Migracije, Migrantke, 17, 1). Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU, 2009, str. 23-58, fotogr.
• MILHARČIČ-HLADNIK, Mirjam. From a dollar bill in an envelope to a petition to the White House : the significance of Slovenian migrants for those back home. V: BRUNNBAUER, Ulf (ur.). Transnational societies, transterritorial politics: migrations in the (Post) Yugoslav region : 19th-21st century, (Südosteuropäische Arbeiten, 141). München: R. Oldenbourg, 2009, str. 193-212.
• MILHARČIČ-HLADNIK, Mirjam. Koliko mene je v tebi?. V: MILHARČIČ-HLADNIK, Mirjam (ur.). In - in : življenjske zgodbe o sestavljenih identitetah. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU, 2011, str. 9-14.
• MILHARČIČ-HLADNIK, Mirjam. Otroci v migracijskih kontekstih. V: ŽITNIK SERAFIN, Janja (ur.). Slovensko izseljenstvo v luči otroške izkušnje : kulturnozgodovinski vidik. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU, 2011, str. 7-16. http://isi.zrc-sazu.si/eknjiga/Zitnik-ur-2011.pdf.
• MILHARČIČ-HLADNIK, Mirjam, Marina Lukšič Hacin. Kulture, civilizacije, nacionalne kulture. V: LUKŠIČ-HACIN, Marina (ur.), MILHARČIČ-HLADNIK, Mirjam (ur.), SARDOČ, Mitja (ur.). Medkulturni odnosi kot aktivno državljanstvo. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU, 2011, str. 23-29.
• MILHARČIČ-HLADNIK, Mirjam. Stopinje skozi čas v avto/biografskih zapisih slovenskih migrantk. V: KORON, Alenka (ur.), LEBEN, Andrej (ur.). Avtobiografski diskurz : teorija in praksa avtobiografije v literarni vedi, humanistiki in družboslovju, (Studia litteraria). Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU, 2011, str. 189-203.