Tjasa Ucakar | University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts (original) (raw)
Books by Tjasa Ucakar
The book illustrates how the trend of associating migrants and refugees with criminality is on th... more The book illustrates how the trend of associating migrants and refugees with criminality is on the rise. In political discourses and popular media alike, migrants and refugees are frequently portrayed as being dangerous, while cultures intent on welcoming newcomers are increasingly seen as being naïve, and providing assistance to migrants is more and more frequently subject to administrative or criminal penalties. At the same time, nondemocratic trends and practices that violate human rights and equality are gaining momentum in Europe, the US and Australia. Racism, xenophobia and anti-Islamism are simultaneously becoming more open and public; they are no longer restricted to clandestine platforms but are increasingly being mainstreamed into the political programs of parties that are entering both the EU parliaments and member state legislatures. Similar developments can be seen in the US and Australia. Such transformations in societies, governments, and institutions seem to reflect a growing amnesia regarding the lessons of the two World Wars of the 20th century, and the role that Europe, the US and Australia played in developing a post-war legal framework based on a shared, if imperfect, commitment to human rights.
The book presents individual national analyses to reveal an emerging trend of “crimmigration” regardless of the peculiarities of national legislatures and internal political dynamics. By collecting original contributions from scholars based in and focused on each of these regions, it addresses above all the causes and impacts of the criminalization of migration in the early 21st century. It tackles the direct causes of these trends and encourages readers to rethink their broader political and socio-historic context. Importantly, the book does so by highlighting the ties between the criminalization of migration and equality, racism, and xenophobia.
As the politics of migration become more perilous for political alliances like the EU as well for individual migrants, it is more important than ever to critically examine the cause and consequences of migrant criminalization. This collection does so from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and political traditions, seeking to overcome the distractions of charismatic politicians and the peculiar factions of national political systems, in order to reveal the underlying trends and disturbing patterns that are of interest to a broad, internationally-focused audience.
Papers by Tjasa Ucakar
Medicine, Law & Society, 2024
The paper explores how occupational and health rights of sex workers are dealt with by courts in ... more The paper explores how occupational and health rights of sex workers are dealt with by courts in criminal proceedings related to the crime of abuse of prostitution under Article 175 of the Slovenian Criminal Code. The authors find that judicial decisions on the crime of abuse of prostitution invariably include considerations regarding occupational health risks, access to health care, and the health rights of sex workers. The paper builds upon the authors’ previous research publications, where they established that in Slovenia, while the restrictive approach to dealing with prostitution prevails, elements of both repressive and integrative approaches are present. Stressing the health rights of sex workers constitutes an integrative approach to prostitution.
Croatian Political Science Review, 2023
The article is based on an empirical socio-legal analysis of criminal court case files concerning... more The article is based on an empirical socio-legal analysis of criminal court case files concerning the abuse of prostitution in Slovenia. Based on the theoretical framework developed by Petra Östergren, the authors analyse whether the Slovenian regulatory system on sex work is repressive, restrictive or integrative. The paper explores how the courts define "abuse" and "exploitation" of prostitution, 1 how the p articipation of third parties in sex work activities is dealt with by the courts, how the vulnerability of sex workers is treated, and how the existence of consent is considered before the courts. The paper examines the files for moral arguments, stereotyping, and stigmatisation, as well as references to occupational risks in the field of sex work and sex workers' rights. In the conclusions the authors argue that in Slovenia the characteristics of the restrictive model, with elements of both repressive and integrative, prevail.
Revija za kriminalistiko in kriminologijo, 2023
Prispevek temelji na empirični sociopravni analizi kazenskih spisov s področja pregona kaznivega ... more Prispevek temelji na empirični sociopravni analizi kazenskih spisov s področja pregona kaznivega dejanja zlorabe prostitucije po 175. členu »Kazenskega zakonika (KZ-1)« (2012) v Sloveniji. Avtorice analizirajo, kako se trije teoretično utemeljeni modeli obravnave seksualnega dela, ki jih je utemeljila Petra Östergren – represivni, restriktivni in integrativni, kažejo v kazenskopravni obravnavi tega kaznivega dejanja. Najprej predstavijo pravno in sociološko teoretično ozadje obravnave prostitucije v Sloveniji. Nato z analizo spisov pokažejo, kako organi pregona in sodišča
ugotavljajo obstoj »zlorabe« in »izkoriščanja« prostitucije, kako obravnavajo sodelovanje tretjih oseb pri njej, kako se obravnava ranljivost seksualnih delavk ter kako se pred sodišči upošteva obstoj soglasja oziroma privolitve. Avtorice analizirajo, ali so v spisih prisotni moralni argumenti, stereotipiziranje in stigmatiziranje ter navedbe poklicnih tveganj na področju seksualnega dela in pravic seksualnih delavk. Pozornost prispevka je usmerjena tudi k vprašanju, ali so iz spisov razvidne razlike med načinom delovanja policije, tožilstva in sodišč. V sklepnem delu avtorice utemeljijo, v katerega od treh modelov – represivnega, restriktivnega ali integrativnega – je mogoče uvrstiti slovenski model glede na značilnosti kazenskega pregona zlorabe prostitucije v Sloveniji, ter zavzamejo stališče, da prevladujejo značilnosti
restriktivnega modela z elementi tako represivnega kot tudi integrativnega.
Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, Mar 21, 2019
Identities at the Crossroads of Crises is the result of work carried out within the programme gro... more Identities at the Crossroads of Crises is the result of work carried out within the programme group “Problems of Autonomy and Identities in the Time of Globalization.” The group members are conducting research into various topics, the common denominator of this research being that of connecting the question of the (in)stability of identities and of autonomy in a nation-state context and how they confront processes affecting the global sphere. The research work covers five areas, focussing on the intersectional effects of these areas: autonomy and identity, migration, intimacy, religion, and culture. These areas also make up the thematic frameworks found in this monograph, even if we have divided the book into four sections: the introductory text discusses identity in the contemporary world in the relationship between the nation state and processes of (de)globalization; the second section deals with majority collective identities – both national and European identities; the third sec...
Javnost-the Public, Dec 14, 2021
Področje intersekcijske diskriminacije v Sloveniji ni neraziskana tema, a še nobena od analiz ni ... more Področje intersekcijske diskriminacije v Sloveniji ni neraziskana tema, a še nobena od analiz ni v ospredje postavila vprašanja intersekcije (medijskih) reprezentacij. Članek v izhodišče postavlja raziskovalno vprašanje, kako diskurz medijskih tekstov na novičarskih spletnih portalih v Sloveniji naslavlja vprašanja diskriminacije in družbenega izključevanja v luči intersekcij skega pristopa. V raziskavi smo se ukvarjali z intersekcijo reprezentacij istospolno usmerjenih oseb in tujcev na štirih slovenskih informativnih spletnih portalih (RTVSLO.si, 24ur.com, SiOL.net in Nova24TV.si) v času sprejemanja področne zakonodaje, vezane na obe družbeni skupini. Na podlagi načela o »zrcaljenju« realnosti, ki temelji na predpostavki o novinarski objektivnosti, ugotavljamo, da so izbrani portali v primeru istospolno usmerjenih oseb nekritično reproducirali konfl ikt med nasprotnima pozicijama pro et contra, ki je marginaliziral vse poglede zunaj njega, v primeru tujcev pa je bila prisotna normalizacija in reprodukcija diskurza predstavnikov parlamentarne politike. Intersekcijska perspektiva je v diskurzu analiziranih medijskih tekstov skoraj povsem umanjkala, kar je prispevalo k šibkejši antidiskriminatorni poziciji in h krepitvi različnih artikulacij družbenega izključevanja.
This article explores the process of disintegration of Yugoslavia, the state-build-ing process in... more This article explores the process of disintegration of Yugoslavia, the state-build-ing process in Slovenia and the context of the specific phenomenon – the erasure that took place in Slovenia in the early 1990s. It reconstructs the socio-historic and political contexts in which the independence of Slovenia occurred. While describing the state-building process, the process of democratisation and the di-lemmas about minority protection in Slovenia – including the distinction be-tween the recognised “autochthonous ” minorities and the non-recognised “new” minorities – it paves the ground for theoretical and sociological discussion of the “erased”. The theoretical discussion is based on the questions of human rights, nationalism and citizenship, both in its classic (nation-state) conception and its alternative forms such as global citizenship. Sociologically, it places the “eras-ure ” into a broader frame of investigating the processes of democratisation and Europeanisation, thus highli...
Nationalities Papers, 2017
This paper addresses the influence of the economic crisis on national identity in Slovenia. It fi... more This paper addresses the influence of the economic crisis on national identity in Slovenia. It first analyzes the creation of the contemporary national identity following independence in 1991 that was established in relation to a negatively perceived Balkan identity, which represented “the Other,” and in relation to a “superior” European identity that Slovenia aspired to. With the economic crisis, the dark corners of Slovenia's “successful” post-socialist transition to democracy came to light. Massive layoffs of workers and the bankruptcies of once-solid companies engendered disdain for the political elites and sympathy for marginalized groups. The public blamed the elites for the country's social and economic backsliding, and massive public protests arose in 2012. The aftermath of the protests was a growing need among the people for a new social paradigm toward solidarity. We show that in Slovenia the times of crisis were not times of growing nationalism and exclusion as so...
Revija za sociologiju, 2011
This article explores the process of disintegration of Yugoslavia, the state-building process in ... more This article explores the process of disintegration of Yugoslavia, the state-building process in Slovenia and the context of the specific phenomenon-the erasure that took place in Slovenia in the early 1990s. It reconstructs the socio-historic and political contexts in which the independence of Slovenia occurred. While describing the state-building process, the process of democratisation and the dilemmas about minority protection in Slovenia-including the distinction between the recognised "autochthonous" minorities and the non-recognised "new" minorities-it paves the ground for theoretical and sociological discussion of the "erased". The theoretical discussion is based on the questions of human rights, nationalism and citizenship, both in its classic (nation-state) conception and its alternative forms such as global citizenship. Sociologically, it places the "erasure" into a broader frame of investigating the processes of democratisation and Europeanisation, thus highlighting the key factors that caused the perforation of Slovene democracy in its twenty years of independence.
Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice, 2020
The book illustrates how the trend of associating migrants and refugees with criminality is on th... more The book illustrates how the trend of associating migrants and refugees with criminality is on the rise. In political discourses and popular media alike, migrants and refugees are frequently portrayed as being dangerous, while cultures intent on welcoming newcomers are increasingly seen as being naïve, and providing assistance to migrants is more and more frequently subject to administrative or criminal penalties. At the same time, nondemocratic trends and practices that violate human rights and equality are gaining momentum in Europe, the US and Australia. Racism, xenophobia and anti-Islamism are simultaneously becoming more open and public; they are no longer restricted to clandestine platforms but are increasingly being mainstreamed into the political programs of parties that are entering both the EU parliaments and member state legislatures. Similar developments can be seen in the US and Australia. Such transformations in societies, governments, and institutions seem to reflect a growing amnesia regarding the lessons of the two World Wars of the 20th century, and the role that Europe, the US and Australia played in developing a post-war legal framework based on a shared, if imperfect, commitment to human rights. The book presents individual national analyses to reveal an emerging trend of “crimmigration” regardless of the peculiarities of national legislatures and internal political dynamics. By collecting original contributions from scholars based in and focused on each of these regions, it addresses above all the causes and impacts of the criminalization of migration in the early 21st century. It tackles the direct causes of these trends and encourages readers to rethink their broader political and socio-historic context. Importantly, the book does so by highlighting the ties between the criminalization of migration and equality, racism, and xenophobia. As the politics of migration become more perilous for political alliances like the EU as well for individual migrants, it is more important than ever to critically examine the cause and consequences of migrant criminalization. This collection does so from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and political traditions, seeking to overcome the distractions of charismatic politicians and the peculiar factions of national political systems, in order to reveal the underlying trends and disturbing patterns that are of interest to a broad, internationally-focused audience.
This paper addresses the influence of the economic crisis on national identity in Slovenia. It fi... more This paper addresses the influence of the economic crisis on national identity in Slovenia. It first analyses the creation of the contemporary national identity following independence in 1991 that was established in relation to a negatively perceived Balkan identity, which presented ‘the Other’ and in relation to a ‘superior’ European identity that Slovenia aspired to. With the economic crisis, the anomalies of the ‘successful’ Slovenian post-socialist transition to a democracy were brought to light. Massive layoffs of workers and the bankruptcy of once successful companies triggered a change in the perception of political elites and marginalized groups among the general public. This generated a collective negative sentiment against the elites, and not against the marginalized groups involved. The public saw the elites as the main culprit for the country’s backsliding economic and social situation; therefore, massive public protests arose in 2012. The aftermath of the protests was a...
The book illustrates how the trend of associating migrants and refugees with criminality is on th... more The book illustrates how the trend of associating migrants and refugees with criminality is on the rise. In political discourses and popular media alike, migrants and refugees are frequently portrayed as being dangerous, while cultures intent on welcoming newcomers are increasingly seen as being naïve, and providing assistance to migrants is more and more frequently subject to administrative or criminal penalties. At the same time, nondemocratic trends and practices that violate human rights and equality are gaining momentum in Europe, the US and Australia. Racism, xenophobia and anti-Islamism are simultaneously becoming more open and public; they are no longer restricted to clandestine platforms but are increasingly being mainstreamed into the political programs of parties that are entering both the EU parliaments and member state legislatures. Similar developments can be seen in the US and Australia. Such transformations in societies, governments, and institutions seem to reflect a growing amnesia regarding the lessons of the two World Wars of the 20th century, and the role that Europe, the US and Australia played in developing a post-war legal framework based on a shared, if imperfect, commitment to human rights.
The book presents individual national analyses to reveal an emerging trend of “crimmigration” regardless of the peculiarities of national legislatures and internal political dynamics. By collecting original contributions from scholars based in and focused on each of these regions, it addresses above all the causes and impacts of the criminalization of migration in the early 21st century. It tackles the direct causes of these trends and encourages readers to rethink their broader political and socio-historic context. Importantly, the book does so by highlighting the ties between the criminalization of migration and equality, racism, and xenophobia.
As the politics of migration become more perilous for political alliances like the EU as well for individual migrants, it is more important than ever to critically examine the cause and consequences of migrant criminalization. This collection does so from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and political traditions, seeking to overcome the distractions of charismatic politicians and the peculiar factions of national political systems, in order to reveal the underlying trends and disturbing patterns that are of interest to a broad, internationally-focused audience.
Medicine, Law & Society, 2024
The paper explores how occupational and health rights of sex workers are dealt with by courts in ... more The paper explores how occupational and health rights of sex workers are dealt with by courts in criminal proceedings related to the crime of abuse of prostitution under Article 175 of the Slovenian Criminal Code. The authors find that judicial decisions on the crime of abuse of prostitution invariably include considerations regarding occupational health risks, access to health care, and the health rights of sex workers. The paper builds upon the authors’ previous research publications, where they established that in Slovenia, while the restrictive approach to dealing with prostitution prevails, elements of both repressive and integrative approaches are present. Stressing the health rights of sex workers constitutes an integrative approach to prostitution.
Croatian Political Science Review, 2023
The article is based on an empirical socio-legal analysis of criminal court case files concerning... more The article is based on an empirical socio-legal analysis of criminal court case files concerning the abuse of prostitution in Slovenia. Based on the theoretical framework developed by Petra Östergren, the authors analyse whether the Slovenian regulatory system on sex work is repressive, restrictive or integrative. The paper explores how the courts define "abuse" and "exploitation" of prostitution, 1 how the p articipation of third parties in sex work activities is dealt with by the courts, how the vulnerability of sex workers is treated, and how the existence of consent is considered before the courts. The paper examines the files for moral arguments, stereotyping, and stigmatisation, as well as references to occupational risks in the field of sex work and sex workers' rights. In the conclusions the authors argue that in Slovenia the characteristics of the restrictive model, with elements of both repressive and integrative, prevail.
Revija za kriminalistiko in kriminologijo, 2023
Prispevek temelji na empirični sociopravni analizi kazenskih spisov s področja pregona kaznivega ... more Prispevek temelji na empirični sociopravni analizi kazenskih spisov s področja pregona kaznivega dejanja zlorabe prostitucije po 175. členu »Kazenskega zakonika (KZ-1)« (2012) v Sloveniji. Avtorice analizirajo, kako se trije teoretično utemeljeni modeli obravnave seksualnega dela, ki jih je utemeljila Petra Östergren – represivni, restriktivni in integrativni, kažejo v kazenskopravni obravnavi tega kaznivega dejanja. Najprej predstavijo pravno in sociološko teoretično ozadje obravnave prostitucije v Sloveniji. Nato z analizo spisov pokažejo, kako organi pregona in sodišča
ugotavljajo obstoj »zlorabe« in »izkoriščanja« prostitucije, kako obravnavajo sodelovanje tretjih oseb pri njej, kako se obravnava ranljivost seksualnih delavk ter kako se pred sodišči upošteva obstoj soglasja oziroma privolitve. Avtorice analizirajo, ali so v spisih prisotni moralni argumenti, stereotipiziranje in stigmatiziranje ter navedbe poklicnih tveganj na področju seksualnega dela in pravic seksualnih delavk. Pozornost prispevka je usmerjena tudi k vprašanju, ali so iz spisov razvidne razlike med načinom delovanja policije, tožilstva in sodišč. V sklepnem delu avtorice utemeljijo, v katerega od treh modelov – represivnega, restriktivnega ali integrativnega – je mogoče uvrstiti slovenski model glede na značilnosti kazenskega pregona zlorabe prostitucije v Sloveniji, ter zavzamejo stališče, da prevladujejo značilnosti
restriktivnega modela z elementi tako represivnega kot tudi integrativnega.
Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, Mar 21, 2019
Identities at the Crossroads of Crises is the result of work carried out within the programme gro... more Identities at the Crossroads of Crises is the result of work carried out within the programme group “Problems of Autonomy and Identities in the Time of Globalization.” The group members are conducting research into various topics, the common denominator of this research being that of connecting the question of the (in)stability of identities and of autonomy in a nation-state context and how they confront processes affecting the global sphere. The research work covers five areas, focussing on the intersectional effects of these areas: autonomy and identity, migration, intimacy, religion, and culture. These areas also make up the thematic frameworks found in this monograph, even if we have divided the book into four sections: the introductory text discusses identity in the contemporary world in the relationship between the nation state and processes of (de)globalization; the second section deals with majority collective identities – both national and European identities; the third sec...
Javnost-the Public, Dec 14, 2021
Področje intersekcijske diskriminacije v Sloveniji ni neraziskana tema, a še nobena od analiz ni ... more Področje intersekcijske diskriminacije v Sloveniji ni neraziskana tema, a še nobena od analiz ni v ospredje postavila vprašanja intersekcije (medijskih) reprezentacij. Članek v izhodišče postavlja raziskovalno vprašanje, kako diskurz medijskih tekstov na novičarskih spletnih portalih v Sloveniji naslavlja vprašanja diskriminacije in družbenega izključevanja v luči intersekcij skega pristopa. V raziskavi smo se ukvarjali z intersekcijo reprezentacij istospolno usmerjenih oseb in tujcev na štirih slovenskih informativnih spletnih portalih (RTVSLO.si, 24ur.com, SiOL.net in Nova24TV.si) v času sprejemanja področne zakonodaje, vezane na obe družbeni skupini. Na podlagi načela o »zrcaljenju« realnosti, ki temelji na predpostavki o novinarski objektivnosti, ugotavljamo, da so izbrani portali v primeru istospolno usmerjenih oseb nekritično reproducirali konfl ikt med nasprotnima pozicijama pro et contra, ki je marginaliziral vse poglede zunaj njega, v primeru tujcev pa je bila prisotna normalizacija in reprodukcija diskurza predstavnikov parlamentarne politike. Intersekcijska perspektiva je v diskurzu analiziranih medijskih tekstov skoraj povsem umanjkala, kar je prispevalo k šibkejši antidiskriminatorni poziciji in h krepitvi različnih artikulacij družbenega izključevanja.
This article explores the process of disintegration of Yugoslavia, the state-build-ing process in... more This article explores the process of disintegration of Yugoslavia, the state-build-ing process in Slovenia and the context of the specific phenomenon – the erasure that took place in Slovenia in the early 1990s. It reconstructs the socio-historic and political contexts in which the independence of Slovenia occurred. While describing the state-building process, the process of democratisation and the di-lemmas about minority protection in Slovenia – including the distinction be-tween the recognised “autochthonous ” minorities and the non-recognised “new” minorities – it paves the ground for theoretical and sociological discussion of the “erased”. The theoretical discussion is based on the questions of human rights, nationalism and citizenship, both in its classic (nation-state) conception and its alternative forms such as global citizenship. Sociologically, it places the “eras-ure ” into a broader frame of investigating the processes of democratisation and Europeanisation, thus highli...
Nationalities Papers, 2017
This paper addresses the influence of the economic crisis on national identity in Slovenia. It fi... more This paper addresses the influence of the economic crisis on national identity in Slovenia. It first analyzes the creation of the contemporary national identity following independence in 1991 that was established in relation to a negatively perceived Balkan identity, which represented “the Other,” and in relation to a “superior” European identity that Slovenia aspired to. With the economic crisis, the dark corners of Slovenia's “successful” post-socialist transition to democracy came to light. Massive layoffs of workers and the bankruptcies of once-solid companies engendered disdain for the political elites and sympathy for marginalized groups. The public blamed the elites for the country's social and economic backsliding, and massive public protests arose in 2012. The aftermath of the protests was a growing need among the people for a new social paradigm toward solidarity. We show that in Slovenia the times of crisis were not times of growing nationalism and exclusion as so...
Revija za sociologiju, 2011
This article explores the process of disintegration of Yugoslavia, the state-building process in ... more This article explores the process of disintegration of Yugoslavia, the state-building process in Slovenia and the context of the specific phenomenon-the erasure that took place in Slovenia in the early 1990s. It reconstructs the socio-historic and political contexts in which the independence of Slovenia occurred. While describing the state-building process, the process of democratisation and the dilemmas about minority protection in Slovenia-including the distinction between the recognised "autochthonous" minorities and the non-recognised "new" minorities-it paves the ground for theoretical and sociological discussion of the "erased". The theoretical discussion is based on the questions of human rights, nationalism and citizenship, both in its classic (nation-state) conception and its alternative forms such as global citizenship. Sociologically, it places the "erasure" into a broader frame of investigating the processes of democratisation and Europeanisation, thus highlighting the key factors that caused the perforation of Slovene democracy in its twenty years of independence.
Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice, 2020
The book illustrates how the trend of associating migrants and refugees with criminality is on th... more The book illustrates how the trend of associating migrants and refugees with criminality is on the rise. In political discourses and popular media alike, migrants and refugees are frequently portrayed as being dangerous, while cultures intent on welcoming newcomers are increasingly seen as being naïve, and providing assistance to migrants is more and more frequently subject to administrative or criminal penalties. At the same time, nondemocratic trends and practices that violate human rights and equality are gaining momentum in Europe, the US and Australia. Racism, xenophobia and anti-Islamism are simultaneously becoming more open and public; they are no longer restricted to clandestine platforms but are increasingly being mainstreamed into the political programs of parties that are entering both the EU parliaments and member state legislatures. Similar developments can be seen in the US and Australia. Such transformations in societies, governments, and institutions seem to reflect a growing amnesia regarding the lessons of the two World Wars of the 20th century, and the role that Europe, the US and Australia played in developing a post-war legal framework based on a shared, if imperfect, commitment to human rights. The book presents individual national analyses to reveal an emerging trend of “crimmigration” regardless of the peculiarities of national legislatures and internal political dynamics. By collecting original contributions from scholars based in and focused on each of these regions, it addresses above all the causes and impacts of the criminalization of migration in the early 21st century. It tackles the direct causes of these trends and encourages readers to rethink their broader political and socio-historic context. Importantly, the book does so by highlighting the ties between the criminalization of migration and equality, racism, and xenophobia. As the politics of migration become more perilous for political alliances like the EU as well for individual migrants, it is more important than ever to critically examine the cause and consequences of migrant criminalization. This collection does so from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and political traditions, seeking to overcome the distractions of charismatic politicians and the peculiar factions of national political systems, in order to reveal the underlying trends and disturbing patterns that are of interest to a broad, internationally-focused audience.
This paper addresses the influence of the economic crisis on national identity in Slovenia. It fi... more This paper addresses the influence of the economic crisis on national identity in Slovenia. It first analyses the creation of the contemporary national identity following independence in 1991 that was established in relation to a negatively perceived Balkan identity, which presented ‘the Other’ and in relation to a ‘superior’ European identity that Slovenia aspired to. With the economic crisis, the anomalies of the ‘successful’ Slovenian post-socialist transition to a democracy were brought to light. Massive layoffs of workers and the bankruptcy of once successful companies triggered a change in the perception of political elites and marginalized groups among the general public. This generated a collective negative sentiment against the elites, and not against the marginalized groups involved. The public saw the elites as the main culprit for the country’s backsliding economic and social situation; therefore, massive public protests arose in 2012. The aftermath of the protests was a...