Invitation to a Scientific Symposium: State, Value Systems and Education

State, Value Systems and Education (Late 18^th to Mid-20^th Century)

Scientific Symposium
14 May 2026
Slovenian School Museum

From the time of Maria Theresa until World War II, a comprehensive education system became established on Slovenian territory. Amid political and other changes, the intended purpose of education stood out in the interplay of different values: to raise responsible and culturally aware individuals who view their education as a form of service to the community.

The scientific symposium consists of three thematic strands, which mainly focus on the Austrian period, from the introduction of mass primary education under Maria Theresa to World War I, but also extend to the periods of the First and Second Yugoslavia. The intervention of the state, the Church, and other stakeholders in the field of education will thus be considered over a longer time-span and in a broader ideological and political context.

PROGRAMME

9:00–9:10 Opening Address
(Moderated by Andreja Cigale)

• Stane Okoliš, Director of the Slovenian School Museum

9:10–10:25 The Intertwining of Religion and Knowledge
(Moderated by Anton Arko)

• Simon Malmenvall, Cooperation Between the State and the Church in the Formation of Compulsory Education During the Theresian-Josephine Period
• Renato Podbersič, Rabbi Izak Reggio from Gorizia
• Stane Okoliš, Church Control in State Education

Discussion

10:25–10:40 Break

10:40-12:15 The Social Charge of Education
(Moderated by Simon Malmenvall)

• Aleš Maver, Church and School in the Eyes of Maribor’s Free-Thinking Bourgeoisie in the Last Third of the 19th Century
• Robert Devetak, The Catholic Press’s View of the Public Activities of Women Teachers in the Last Third of the 19th Century
• Barbara Riman, Slovenian Teachers at Imperial and Royal Grammar Schools in Croatia
• Kristina Riman, The Prevailing Value Systems in the Children’s Stories of Teacher Ljudevit Tomšič

Discussion

12:15–12:30 Break

12:30-14:05 Education System Within and Beyond Political Constraints
(Moderated by Renato Podbersič)

• David Hazemali, War in the Classroom: Education, Patriotism, and the Americanization of Slovenian Immigrants in the United States during World War I (1917–1918)
• Matic Intihar, The Role of the Church in the Education of Slovenian Youth in Argentina before World War II
• Matic Batič, Fascist Education in Primorska: Between Italianization and the Anthropological Revolution
• Nik Trontelj, Prof Dr Vilko Fajdiga and His Attitude to Social Reality in Slovenia after World War II

Discussion and conclusion.

Cordially welcome!