Ivan Grkeš, M.A.

Dissertation project

The role of Milovan Gavazzi in the forming of Croatian interwar ethnology (working title)

The thesis will explore the scientific and intellectual engagement of the Croatian ethnologist Milovan Gavazzi (1895. – 1992.) in the interwar period (1918. – 1941.). The research aims to investigate how M. Gavazzi became a central figure of Croatian interwar ethnology. A particular type of ethnographic research will be conducted on archival material that is going to be considered as an equivalent to a place of fieldwork. Based on contemporary research approaches from the history of anthropology, the thesis will apply the theoretical and methodological framework of the actor-network theory (B. Latour) and field theory (P. Bourdieu). Croatian interwar ethnology will thus be presented as an interactive network of multiple actors (scientists, students, institutions..) determined by power relations, within which contacts, encounters, connections, and (inter)actions occur. The research will focus on the questions of how M. Gavazzi positioned himself and how he operated within the scientific network of Croatian interwar ethnology, and in what way his activity affected the scientific formation of Croatian interwar ethnology. The research will be based on the grounded theory method, where empirically based results will be formed through the collection and data analysis. The research will be primarily based on Gavazzi's correspondence from the interwar period which he exchanged with many of his distinguished colleagues from home and abroad and on the archival document from the archives of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Both materials will provide insight into the functioning of the scientific network of Croatian interwar ethnology, power relations and connections with different actors. The thesis will therefore contribute to understanding the interactions of the central figures of the discipline and other actors in the scientific field. It will also contribute to the understanding of the role of M. Gavazzi in the development of interwar ethnology and its history as a part of Croatian scientific heritage.

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Nevena Škrbić Alempijević