Gašper Mithans, PhD
Research Areas:
- Contemporary history
- History of religions
- Transnational history
- Historical anthropology
Biography:
Gašper Mithans studied Cultural studies and anthropology (2007) and holds a PhD degree in History of Europe and the Mediterranean (2012) at University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities. The title of his PhD thesis is “The regulation of relations between Roman Catholic Church and the State authorities in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) and the Yugoslav concordat”.
At the Institute for Historical Studies at Science and Research Centre Koper he is employed since 2014. He started his academic career at SRC Koper (2007–2012), followed by lecturing at University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities as external lecturer and a researcher (2013, 2014). He led a European project funded by the Europe for Citizens programme (2015–2017), conducted post-doctoral research funded by Slovenian Research Agency (2016–2017) and is managing a project on religious changes in Slovenia and Yugoslavia (2021–2024).
Mithans has participated in two research programmes, and several national and international research projects. His monograph Jugoslovanski konkordat: pacem in discordia ali jugoslovanski “kulturkampf” received a national award for the best first book in the field of historiography. Besides, he is the author of a number of scientific articles, chapters, collective volumes, and conference papers, mostly from the field of history of religions and the history of the interwar Yugoslavia. In 2020 he was a Visiting Fulbright Scholar at University of California, Berkeley.
His bibliographycomprises a total of more than 70 items.
Gašper Mithans received following awards:
- 2019: Science and Research Centre Award “Glasnik znanosti” for outstanding scientific achievements by early-career researchers;
- 2018: Ervin Dolenc award for the best first book in the field of historiography (Historical Association of Slovenia);
- 2008: Vladimir Bartol’s Award for the best undergraduate thesis (University of Primorska, Faculty of Humanities).
Research activity:
Gašper Mithans has worked within two research programmes:
- The Mediterranean and Slovenia;
- Slovenhood Dimensions between Local and Global at the Beginning of the Third Millennium.
and headed three research projects:
- Religious change in Slovenia and Yugoslavia: religious conversions and processes of atheization (2021–2024) (ERC Complementary Scheme adapted project; Slovenian Research Agency);
- Everyday religious practices and convertism in Slovenia (1918–1941) (2016–2017) (postdoctoral project of Slovenian Research Agency);
- Burnt in memories (8/2015–2/2017) (Europe for citizens programme).
He received international grants:
- 2020: Fulbright Scholar Award at University of California, Berkeley;
- 2018: U.S. Department of State’s grant for Study of the U.S. Institutes program on religious pluralism (Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA);
- 2018: Visiting Fellowship Programme for Potential ERC Candidates (University College Cork, Ireland).
He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Historical Association of Slovenia in the field of interdisciplinary research (2019-), he was also a secretary at the Association (2008–2010). Mithans is a member of the Slovenian Society for Comparative Religion (2019-). As the head of organization committee and/or programme committee he organized symposiums and round tables, among them international scientific meeting “Ecumenism and Interfaith Encounters in Slovenia” (Koper, 2017), conference of Historical Association of Slovenia “Migrations in Slovene lands from Antiquity until today” (Koper, 2010), and the round table “World War II in the Slovenian-Italian-Croatian Border area: violence and memory” (Koper, 2017).