Janko Prunk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janko Prunk
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Prunk in 2015
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| Born | 30 December 1942 (age 82) Loka pri Zidanem Mostu, Slovenian Styria, Third Reich
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| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Citizenship | Slovenian |
| Occupation | Historian, Politician |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Known for | Modern history, Political philosophy, Christian socialism |
Janko Prunk, born on December 30, 1942, is a well-known historian from Slovenia. He studies modern history, which means he looks at events from recent times. He has written many articles and books about how political ideas and groups have developed in Slovenia and Europe. He is especially interested in Slovenian Christian socialism and the history of Slovenia as a nation.
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About Janko Prunk
Janko Prunk was born in a small place called Loka pri Zidanem Mostu in central Slovenia. At that time, this part of Slovenia was occupied by Germany during World War II.
He started school in his hometown. Later, he went to a school in Radeče and then to a Gymnasium (a type of high school) in Celje. In 1966, he finished his studies in history and sociology at the University of Ljubljana. After that, he served in the army for about a year.
Janko Prunk continued his studies, earning a master's degree in 1972. In 1976, he completed his PhD, which is a very high university degree. His PhD was about the Christian Socialist movement in Slovenia between 1918 and 1941. This topic was quite sensitive back then.
He received special scholarships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. These scholarships allowed him to work as a researcher and visiting professor at universities in Germany, like the University of Freiburg and the University of Cologne, in the 1980s and 1990s.
From 1966 to 1995, he worked at the Institute for Modern History in Ljubljana. He then became a professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana. He taught there until he retired in 2013.
Prunk is also a member of the Leibniz Institute of European History in Mainz. He is also a senior member of the Center for European Integration Studies in Bonn.
Janko Prunk's Political Work
Janko Prunk has also been active in politics. He was a supporter of Jože Pučnik, a key figure in Slovenia's move towards democracy. Prunk joined the Democratic Opposition of Slovenia when the country was becoming more democratic. He was an active member of the Slovenian Democratic Party.
Between 1992 and 1993, Prunk served as a minister in the government led by Janez Drnovšek. His job was to look after Slovenes living outside Slovenia and national minorities within Slovenia.
After 1994, Prunk stepped away from politics for more than ten years. Before the 2004 parliamentary elections, he supported the Slovenian Democratic Party again. In 2005, he was chosen to lead a special historical group. This group, formed by the governments of Slovenia and Croatia, aimed to understand the history of their relationship.
From 2004 to 2008, he was in charge of the Slovenian Democratic Party's committee for education policies. He left this role in 2008 because he disagreed with the government's support for private universities. After leaving the party, he became critical of the Prime Minister at the time, Janez Janša.
After the 2008 parliamentary elections, Prunk explained why he was disappointed with the Slovenian Democratic Party. He felt the party had changed its views and no longer supported the idea of a welfare state, which was important to its founder, Jože Pučnik.
Awards and Recognition
Janko Prunk has received several awards for his work:
- 1999: He received the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in Science award.
- 2016: He was given the Sigmund Zois award for his excellent scientific book, Zgodovina Evrope v dobi racionalistične civilizacije 1775-2015 (History of Europe in the era of rationalist civilisation 1775-2015).
Books and Articles
Since 1966, Janko Prunk has written over 500 articles and books. His book, A brief history of Slovenia: Historical background of the Republic of Slovenia, is one of the most complete works about modern Slovenian history.
See also
In Spanish: Janko Prunk para niños
