Janko Prunk () (born 30 December 1942) is a Slovenian historian of
modern history. He has published articles and monographs on analytical politology, modern history, the genesis of modern political formations, and the history of social and
political philosophy
Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, ...
in Slovenia. He has also written on the history of
political movements in Europe from the end of the 18th century until today, especially about Slovene
Christian socialism and the history of Slovenian national questions.
Biography
Prunk was born in the small settlement of
Loka pri Zidanem Mostu
Loka pri Zidanem Mostu () is a village on the left bank of the Sava River in the Municipality of Sevnica in central Slovenia. The area is part of the historical region of Styria. The municipality is now included in the Lower Sava Statistical R ...
(part of the municipality of
Sevnica
Sevnica (; german: Lichtenwald''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 4: ''Štajersko''. 1904. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 20.) is a town on the left bank of the Sava River in central Sloveni ...
), in central Slovenia, which was then the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
-occupied
Slovenian Styria.
Prunk started going to primary school in his birthplace. After fourth grade, he shifted to the school in nearby
Radeče
Radeče (; german: Ratschach''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 88–89.) is a small town in the Lower Sava Valley in eastern Slovenia. ...
. He continued his secondary education at
Gymnasium in
Celje. Graduating from history and sociology at the
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students.
History Beginnings
Although certain ...
in 1966. He was recruited into
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...
in
Sisak,
Socialist Republic of Croatia
The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Socia ...
in the years 1966/67. He obtained his master's degree from University of Ljubljana in 1972. In 1976, he obtained his PhD with a thesis on Slovenian
Christian Socialist
Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe cap ...
movement 1918-1941, which was still a controversial topic at that time. Prunk was awarded scholarships by the
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (german: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung) is a foundation established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Education and Rese ...
. He worked as a researcher and visiting professor at the
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemb ...
in 1984/1985 and 1994/1995, and in 1988/1989 at the
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne (german: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in the year 1388 and is one of the most prestigious and research intensive universities in Germany. It was the sixth university to ...
.
From 1966 to 1995, he worked at the Institute for modern history in Ljubljana. Until his retirement in 2013 he worked as professor at the Faculty of
Social Sciences
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...
of the University of Ljubljana.
Prunk is a member of
Leibniz Institute of European History The Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG) in Mainz, Germany, is an independent, public research institute that carries out and promotes historical research on the foundations of Europe in the early and late Modern period. Though autonomous i ...
in
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...
, and a senior member of the
Center for European Integration Studies in
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
.
Politics
Prunk has been actively involved in politics. As an early admirer of
Jože Pučnik
Jože Pučnik (9 March 1932 – 11 January 2003) was a Slovenian public intellectual, sociologist and politician. During the communist regime of Josip Broz Tito, Pučnik was one of the most outspoken Slovenian critics of dictatorship and la ...
, Prunk joined the
Democratic Opposition of Slovenia
Democratic Opposition of Slovenia, also known as the DEMOS (in Slovenian: ''Demokratična opozicija Slovenije'') was a coalition of centre-right political parties, created by an agreement between the Slovenian Democratic Union, the Social Democrat ...
after the democratization of Slovenia. He was an active member of the
Slovenian Democratic Party
The Slovenian Democratic Party ( sl, Slovenska demokratska stranka, SDS), formerly the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia ( sl, Socialdemokratska stranka Slovenije, SDSS), is a conservative political party in Slovenia. It has been described as ...
(known as Slovenian Social Democratic Party between 1989 and 2003). Between 1992 and 1993, Prunk served as Minister for ''Slovenes outside Slovenia and National Minorities in Slovenia'' in the first coalition cabinet of
Janez Drnovšek
Janez Drnovšek (; 17 May 1950 – 23 February 2008) was a Slovenian liberal politician, President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia (1989–1990), Prime Minister of Slovenia (1992–2002, with a short break in 2000) and President of Slovenia (2 ...
.
After 1994, Prunk withdrew from politics for over a decade. Before the
parliamentary elections of 2004, he campaigned for the Slovenian Democratic Party. In 2005, he was appointed by the Foreign Minister
Dimitrij Rupel
Dimitrij Rupel (born 7 April 1946) is a Slovenian politician.
Early life and education
Rupel was born in Ljubljana, in what was then the PR Slovenia, into a bourgeois family of former anti-fascist political emigrants from the Julian March (hi ...
, as president of the Slovene-Croatian Historical Commission, formed by the Government of the two countries, to shed light on the history of the relations between them. Between 2004 and 2008, he served as chairman of the Slovenian Democratic Party's internal Committee for Education Policies. He resigned in 2008 because of disagreements over the Government's policy favoring
private universities
Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. Depe ...
. After the split with the party, he became very critical of the then Prime Minister
Janez Janša
Ivan Janša (; born 17 September 1958), baptized and best known as Janez Janša (), is a Slovenian politician who served three times as a prime minister of Slovenia, a position he had held from 2004 to 2008, from 2012 to 2013, and from 2020 to 2 ...
, whom he accused of being a "liberal with an authoritative touch, who aspires at becoming a Slovenian
Piłsudski".
After the
parliamentary elections of 2008, Prunk explained his disappointment with the Slovenian Democratic Party as a consequence of its
neo-liberal
Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent fa ...
turn. In Prunk's opinion, the party turned its back to the ideals of
welfare state
A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...
held by its founding father
Jože Pučnik
Jože Pučnik (9 March 1932 – 11 January 2003) was a Slovenian public intellectual, sociologist and politician. During the communist regime of Josip Broz Tito, Pučnik was one of the most outspoken Slovenian critics of dictatorship and la ...
.
Prunk also criticised the
charisma
Charisma () is a personal quality of presence or charm that compels its subjects.
Scholars in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary; in these fields, the term "ch ...
tic type of leadership of the party's president Janez Janša, stating that the party would most probably collapse if Janša resigned.
[
]
Honors and awards
* 1999: Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in science award.
* 2016: Sigmund Zois
Sigmund Zois Freiherr von Edelstein, usually referred as Sigmund Zois ( sl, Žiga Zois, formerly Slovenized as ''Cojs'' or ''Cojz''; ) (23 November 1747 – 10 November 1819) was a Carniolan nobleman, natural scientist and patron of the arts. He ...
award for superior achievement, for scientific monography ''Zgodovina Evrope v dobi racionalistične civilizacije 1775-2015'' (History of Europe in the era of rationalist civilisation 1775-2015).
Selected publications
Prunk has written over 500 specialized articles and books, since 1966. His book, ''A brief history of Slovenia: Historical background of the Republic of Slovenia'' is one of the most comprehensive works on modern Slovenian history.
Bibliography
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See also
* History of Slovenia
The history of Slovenia chronicles the period of the Slovenian territory from the 5th century BC to the present. In the Early Bronze Age, Proto- Illyrian tribes settled an area stretching from present-day Albania to the city of Trieste. The Slov ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prunk, Janko
University of Ljubljana alumni
Academic staff of the University of Ljubljana
Academic staff of the University of Cologne
Academic staff of the University of Freiburg
Historians of Europe
Historians of the Balkans
20th-century Slovenian historians
Slovenian journalists
20th-century Slovenian philosophers
Slovenian sociologists
Slovenian Democratic Party politicians
Slovenian expatriates in Germany
People from the Municipality of Sevnica
1942 births
Living people
Slovenian anti-communists
21st-century Slovenian historians
Slovenian translators
21st-century Slovenian philosophers