Contribution short abstract:

This paper aims to turn the spotlight on the life and selected ethnographies of the geographer and ethnologist Francesco Musoni against the background of the nationalisation process. It argues that his transcultural experience led him to document practices and situations beyond established dualisms.

Contribution long abstract:

In his ethnographic work, Francesco Musoni oscillates between expressing his loyalty as an Italian citizen and advocating the rights of the Slovene-speaking population in Italy. Originating from the plurilingual, transcultural region Slavia Friulana/Benecija, located in todays` border region between Italy and Slovenia, Musoni developed a professional interest in the Slavic world. Musoni published ethnographic, historical, toponymic and folklore research, as well as studies on the peoples of later Yugoslavia. His writings reflect his transdisciplinary involvement and developed through his activities. Musoni was a university lecturer. He held several political positions, both locally and regionally. Besides, he extended a transnational network as a member of the Friulian Alpine Society and as the president of the Friulian Speleological and Hydrological Circle. While he pursued his career in Italy and wrote his publications in Italian, he knew several Slavic languages and promoted Slavic studies in Italy (I nomi locali e l'elemento slavo in Friuli, 1897). However, the ideas he expresses show that he was concerned with documenting practices that lay beyond established dualisms of an Italian or Slovene culture.

Recent research on nationalisation has revealed its transversal dynamics (Feichtinger/Uhl, 2016; Ginderachter/Fox, 2019), detailing the process from the perspective of its ruptures and difficulties. In my talk, I aim to show the ambivalent, sometimes contradictory ways linguistic and cultural diversity is reflected in expert discourses. Examining how Musoni’s activities and his production of ethnographic knowledge on ethnic difference facilitated transcultural understandings is a possible approach to un/writing.