Peak Event Report
The port of Trieste, the most important port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was not only a window to the New World for many individuals from Central Europe, but also the cradle of labour migration (or, rather, mobility) as a desirable destination for merchants. Sadly, it was also city from which labourers and intellectuals fled to what was then Kingdom of Yugoslavia during the times Trieste was wrapped in a veil of Italian fascism. As hosts, we were glad to had had our fellow EUTOPIANs at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana and to had taken them to Trieste, hoping to intrigue them by the spirits of both of the cities.
Day one
Although we have interacted with our colleagues from other universities via Microsoft Teams, the virtual interactions can never truly replicate the efficiency, sense of camaraderie and sincerity that is present in face-to-face meetings. It was with great pleasure and excitement that we welcomed our fellow EUTOPIANs to our capital, the green hub, which lies on an important crossroad of diverse historical and modern migratory routes.
We drew the day to a close with a convivial dinner, marking the end of a pleasant first day of the peak event.
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D-Day
Under the impressions of the very productive introductory day, it was time for all of the EUTOPIANs to shine with our presentations at the Peak Event and disembark at the shore of the Ljubljanica river at Poljanski nasip 2. In the Blue Lecture Room, assistant Svit Komel and our IT expert Miha Lunar, who were working hard to make sure that the technical side of Peak Event was impeccable.
After the arrival, we were glad to be greeted not only by the Dean of our Faculty, professor Saša Zagorc, but also by the coordinator for EUTOPIA MORE at the University of Ljubljana, professor Nataša Poklar Ulrih, professor Rosette S’Jegers, Coordinator for education and Research at EUTOPIA MORE and, last but not least, the Lead of the CoLeCo Legal History, professor Frederik Dhondt. We would also like to thank professor Marko Kambič, associate professor Vladimir Simič, assistant Vid Žepič and assistant professor Aleš Novak to have taken their time to listen at least in part to the presentations of the participants. Finally, we would also like to thank our experts, professor Aleksej Kalc from the Slovenian Migration Institute of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, dr. Danijel Grafenauer and dr. Janez Pirc of the Institute for Ethnic Studies for their priceless help with our presentations and their time to participate at the Peak Event.
The broad and complex topic of labour migration was broken down into broader subtopic per every group. The vast majority of EUTOPIANs discussed in their presentations at least indirectly the questions of national identity, language and social rights as a social as well as legal issue that had to be addressed in connection to labour migration. The foregoing was, inter alia, presented to us by the EUTOPIANs from Warwick, who analysed the migration of individuals from the West Indies and Latin America towards the United Kingdom in the 20th century and the analysis by our colleagues from Cergy Paris, who analysed the troubling ethnic tensions which (in part) led to unfortunate situation of the Moroccan immigrants in France and the events in Aigues Mortes. This indubitably prompted a déjà vu to the fellow EUTOPIANs that had already participated in the Connected Learning Community in the past year when we were researching the protection of minority rights through the prism of legal history.
Moreover, it was great to see how the topic of the migration of young women to the United States of America in the late 19th and early 20th century blended perfectly with the question of the evolution of social rights of female Italian migrant workers in France. The very same could be said for the direct connection to the Dillingham Commission and its diverse perception of the citizens of the Portuguese colonial empire, which was analysed by our fellow EUTOPIANS from Lisbon and of the South Slavic immigrants to the United States. Without a doubt, the transnational effects like these are the highest added value of the EUTOPIA Connected Learning Communities, as they foster priceless exchange of information and personal connections. It is also wroth to note that we were really glad that this year the Peak Event was open for the students of our Faculty, who came and listened to our presentations.
A day full of rich presentations and discussions on legal history did not make us tired at all, as it prompted many interesting discussions, some of them touching upon very philosophical questions the human race failed to answer throughout its history. In spite of that, we had to save some energy for the next day, as we were to finally show our fellow EUTOPIANs the city that we talked about extensively in our presentations and that was our spiritus movens due to its historical significance – the city of Trst.
Day three: The Excursion
After a productive and informative presentation day, our group was eager to showcase the region and the city that perfectly embodied the main topics of this and last year’s EUTOPIA legal history. The region is home to many minorities, and the city of Trieste served as a pivotal point for migration from the Habsburg monarchy to the New World. Boarding a bus, we engaged in lively conversation, sang songs and enjoyed each other’s company while professor Škrubej shared historical facts about the lands we were traversing.
As we sang, time flew by quickly and soon we were in Trieste, where we were joined by a local guide, who provided us with a comprehensive bus tour of the city, from the docks, where migrants boarded ships to new world, to the Slovene district, then the castle and finally the city centre with grand canal, where we disembarked. Our on-foot tour of the city centre led us by many cafeterias, the stock exchange, the former Jewish Quarter and even by the remains of a Roman theatre.
Following our tour of Trieste, we enjoyed a delectable Slovene lunch at a picturesque farm in the countryside. The unique building had a glass wall overlooking the stable, giving us an opportunity to observe calves and goats after dining. Our next stop was Piran and its local maritime museum, where we had the opportunity to showcase the beautiful maritime city, situated on a peninsula, with a magnificent church atop the local hill. As evening descended, we were treated with a stunning sunset, bringing a fitting close to a memorable day and peak event.
Conclusion
To summarize, it would be safe to say that the few days we spent together with our European counterparts have been an enriching experience. Firstly, by attending the presentations during the Peak Event, we were able to discover previously unknown and fascinating topics and broaden our horizons. Furthermore, by travelling together, visiting historic sights, singing songs in union and simply talking with one another, we were able to exchange many ideas and opinions, only to discover, that regardless of the fact that we are separated by thousands of kilometres of distance, with mountains and rivers in between, we all shared common views and goals, and that we were all, in essence, EUTOPIANs.
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