Between two Opposite Nationalisms: The Friulan Community of Gorizia

Abstract

This paper is an excerpt from my Ph.D. dissertation. In my thesis I investigated Nationalism and Localism in Gorizia
through history and politics. In this brief version of the paper I present some of the results of my inquiry on Friulan community of
Gorizia. After a short description of Friulan culture and language, I will discuss the role of Friulan culture in Gorizia in mediating
between national feelings and sense of local belonging. Gorizia is a city located on the border between Italy and Slovenia.
Friulans, Italians, Slovenians and Germans cohabitated peacefully in the city until the rise of Nationalisms and the cruelty of
Totalitarianisms led to the building of the modern borders and to the separation of the groups. Friulans are catholic as the
Slovenes and latin speakers as the Italians. As for the Slovene minority, they struggled to defende their culture and language
from Italianisation. On the same time, the protagonists of Gorizian Italian Irredentism were also Friulans, and many Friulans are
proud to be Italian. Through the example of some semi structured interviews I carried on in Spring 2007, I will picture the Friulan
fringe of Gorizia in the nowadays.