THE TWO SUMMER SCANDALS OF CRITICAL THOUGHT

Tomaž Mastnak and Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenian critical intellectuals between the Yugoslav and Slovenian public in 1986

SUMMARY

The purpose of the present contribution is to carry out a historical analysis of the role, significance, and position of the critical Slovenian intellectuals in the Yugoslav and Slovenian public in the last decade of Socialist Yugoslavia (more

98 Malešević, "From 'Organic' Legislators to 'Organicistic' Interpreters", str. 68.

99 Zajc, "Samoumeščanje slovenskih intelektualcev", str. 770; Marko Zajc, "Slovenian Intellectuals and Yugoslavism in the 1980s : propositions, theses, questions", Südosteuropäische Hefte 4, št. 1, (2015), str.

46–65; Marko Zajc, "Slovenski intelektualci in jugoslovanstvo v osemdesetih letih. Izhodišča in teze", v: Slovenija v Jugoslaviji, ur. Zdenko Čepič (Ljubljana, 2015), str. 256.

precisely, in 1986). The central focus is on the intellectuals Tomaž Mastnak and Dimitrij Rupel and their standpoints in the context of the relations between the Slovenian and Yugoslav public. For our analysis, the contents published by the media are more important than the decision-making processes in the political forums that we can follow in the relevant archival sources. We are interested in the political history of the public rather than in the history of politics as a deci-sion-making process in the circles that wield political power. The critical the-ories of Zygmunt Bauman, Antonio Gramsci, and Siniša Malešević serve as the foundations for comprehending the role of the critical Slovenian intellectuals in the final years of Socialist Yugoslavia. This part is followed by an in-depth historical analysis of two media scandals in the Slovenian and Yugoslav public.

In the case of Tomaž Mastnak, we are referring to the judicial restriction of soci-al critique; while in the case of Rupel, we have in mind the severe reactions to his interview. The Yugoslav context is crucial for both examples. Mastnak's case focuses on legal and democratic legitimacy; while Rupel's example is related to the national question in the context of the Yugoslav state. Mastnak also operates with the concept of the national, while Rupel develops his argu-ments within the paradigm of democratisation and civil society. According to Rupel, apart from observing the rights of individuals, the rights of the nations in Yugoslavia needed to be taken into account as well. The affair that involved Rupel was only possible due to the existence of the all-Yugoslav public; while Mastnak's case (and its resolution) could only take place in the late system of the Yugoslav federation. Dimitrij Rupel and Tomaž Mastnak hardly fit into any of the categories of intellectuals as defined by the aforementioned theoreti-cians. According to Zygmunt Bauman's theory, both actors can undoubtedly be defined as post-modern interpreters. At the time in question, they did not possess any political power, yet in the relevant historical moment, their inter-pretation made a significant public impact. On the other hand, we can notice their strong tendency to become intellectual "legislators" as well as the fact that periodically, they would indeed assume this role. The placement of Mastnak and Rupel in Gramsci's scheme is even more complex, while Malešević's system can barely be applied to the Slovenian situation. Nevertheless, the question of the transition from "organic legislators" to "organicist interpreters" is also appli-cable in the Slovenian case – particularly in the context of the transformation of the intellectuals who had been active members of the League of Communists into the interpreters of organicist Slovenian nationalism. However, this rele-vant and intriguing topic exceeds the ambitions of the present contribution.

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Privoz 11, SI–1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title: THE TWO SUMMER SCANDALS OF CRITICAL THOUGHT

Subtitle: Tomaž Mastnak and Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenian critical intellectuals between the Yugoslav and Slovenian public in 1986

Studia Historica Slovenica

Časopis za družboslovne in humanistične študije / Humanities and Social Studies Review Maribor, 20 (2020), No. 3, pp. 921–956, 99 notes, 3 pictures

Category: 1.01 Original scientific paper

Language: Original in Slovene (Abstract in Slovene and English, Summary in English)

Key words: intellectuals, Slovenia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, social critique, civil society, history of the public, 1986

Abstract: The purpose of the following contribution is to carry out a historical analysis of the role, significance, and posi-tion of the critical Slovenian intellectuals in the Yugoslav and Slovenian public in the last decade of Socialist Yugoslavia (more precisely, in 1986). The central focus is on the intellectuals Tomaž Mastnak and Dimitrij Rupel and their standpo-ints in the context of the relations between the Slovenian and Yugoslav public. For our analysis, the contents published by the media are more important than the decision-making processes in the political forums that we can follow in the relevant archival sources. We are interested in the political history of the public rather than in the history of politics as a decision-making process in the circles that wield political power.