Pedagogy at the University of Ljubljana from its founding to the beginning of the 1950s

Dr. Tadej Vidmar

Summary:  This article focuses on the conceptualisation of pedagogy as a science in Slovenia and on the study of pedagogy at the University of Ljubljana. We analyse their development from the 1920s to the 1950s. The chair for pedagogy was established upon the university’s founding in 1919. The first professor of pedagogy was Dr Karel Ozvald, who also conceptualised duhoslovna (geisteswissenschaftliche) or cultural pedagogy in Slovenia. In 1930, Dr Stanko Gogala, who was also representative of cultural pedagogy, joined Ozvald at the University of Ljubljana. During World War II, Ljubljana was occupied first by fascist Italy and then by the German National-Socialist Regime in 1943. At the time of the German occupation, there were no lectures at the university. In 1945, the University of Ljubljana resumed its functions, but the study of pedagogy was resumed on completely different ideological and political bases. The new pedagogical concept had for a long time very negative attitude to the majority of pre-war pedagogical movements and concepts. The influence of politics and ideology had strong impacts on the development of pedagogical thought in Slovenia.