Social Integration in the Italo‐slovene Gorizia Transborder Region

Abstract

This article provides a survey of the local dimensions of a particular, but at the same time emblematic, Central Eurw pean border landscape; the problems caused by the dividing of a consolidated historical region after World War 11; and the phenomenon of its persistence in the field of human relations; thereby providing a basis for a gradual reintegration of the two border areas. The analysis of the regional structure and cross-border behaviour leads to the conclusion that social and functional cross-border integration is determined less by the proximity of the border than by a common social, cultural and territorial background of the border population. In fact, a lower degree of cultural affiaity between the two sides of the border has a dearly negative influence on the intensity of cross-border relations, even if the two sides have a similar or functionally complementary sociwconomic structure.

Conflict and compromise among borderland identities in northern Italy

“…At the same time, portions of the boundary around Gorizia, have developed as a`spatially limited but well-integrated cross-border region' (Bufon 1996 p. 257), owing in part to the presence of a significant Slovene population on the Italian side. Integrative forces include a full range of social contacts, political co-operation, agricultural holdings that straddle the border, and economic complementarity (Bufon 1996).…”

“…In the past several decades, economic agreements and central government concessions have led to increased cross-boundary interactions. Even before the Yugoslav break-up, border crossings were made easier, joint economic ventures were instigated by industrial companies, overall trade increased steadily, and tourist traffic expanded (Klemencic & Piry 1982;Klemencic & Bufon 1991;Bufon 1993Bufon , 1996. Trieste resumed its position as a central place but for a hinterland located in another state.…”

Transnational Views - The Changeable Political Map of the Upper Adriatic Region Between Conflict and Coexistence

“…Moreover, the new border hampered the access from the major part of the Goriška Brda/Collio to the villages of Solkan and Šempeter, where a new urban centre, an 'alternative' to the town of Gorizia, was developing, making thus the Goriška Brda/Collio a dead enclave within its own state territory. On the other hand, the very birth of the town of Nova Gorica (The New Gorizia) was unusualnot because it meant the construction of a 'twin' town along the border, a relatively frequent phenomenon, -but rather because it had to grow virtually overnight for a precise purpose: that of joining the two villages of Solkan and Šempeter into a larger and more attractive urban centre which would have to overshadow the 'old' Gorizia (BUFON 1996). These examples show that the border, drawn between Italy and Yugoslavia in 1947, opened up two possible, but extremely different perspectives: on the one hand, the strenghtening of the dividing character of the border and the limitation of crossborder relations would provoke a gradual disintegration of the social and economic tissue of the border area, but on the other, the opening of the border and the promotion of traditional local ties would contribute to the integration and the development of the two border areas.…”

The territoriality of European integration and the territorial features of the European Union: the first 50 years

“…In addition, cross-border interactions are generally limited and can even be almost nonexistent if the border is closed (Knippenberg & Markusse 1999). In the past decades, political geographical research focused on border conflicts has been complemented by geographical research on the impact of borders on economic and social relations ( Van Houtum 1998;Bufon 1996). In addition, the formation of borders and more generally social boundaries has become a major topic in political geography and more generally in the social sciences (Paasi 1996;Newman & Paasi 1998;Newman 1999, to name a few).…”