Research on Slovenian Cultural Heritage in the USA and Canada

The American Slovenian Education Foundation (ASEF) is conducting a big research on Slovenian cultural heritage in the United States of America (USA) and Canada. This research, commissioned by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, aims to preserve the valuable cultural wealth created by Slovenian emigrants and their descendants. Our goal is to cover all Slovenian organizations that operate in the USA and Canada and collect information about their activities and especially what is the situation with the Slovenian cultural heritage that they have created, how they have organized the archives about their past activities and whether Slovenia could help them in any way.

Slovenian emigrants have created a significant cultural legacy within their organizations, encompassing a wide range of materials such as written archives, books and newspapers, memorabilia, museum objects, and other artifacts. It is of utmost importance for the Republic of Slovenia to preserve and document this heritage for future generations, especially as Slovenian communities evolve, while some organizations are closing.

The Republic of Slovenia, in partnership with the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia, offers support and assistance to Slovenian organizations in arranging and preserving their archives and material cultural heritage. This includes guidance on organizing and preserving archives, determining what’s essential to keep. 

The goal of the research is also the digitization of Slovenian cultural heritage, making it accessible not only to those in the USA and Canada but also in Slovenia and worldwide. Additionally, the research aims to identify the needs and challenges faced by Slovenian organizations abroad and to offer Slovenia’s assistance and support in preserving their cultural heritage. 

Since Slovenian organizations are scattered throughout North America, Slovenia does not have a complete overview of the operations of all these organizations. Therefore, it is important to gather data on their activities, methods of preserving cultural heritage, and any potential needs for assistance. Therefore, we invite all of you who are active in any Slovenian organization in the USA or Canada to complete the survey and thereby enable us to obtain data about your activities, and offer new opportunities for Slovenia’s help in your preservation of archives and all Slovenian cultural heritage in emigration.

The survey is open until May 15, 2024. Access to the questionnaire is available at the following links: 

You are kindly invited to participate. Thank you to all who will contribute to the preservation of Slovenian cultural heritage abroad.