Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.53745/ccp.49.95.3
Political Discourse in The Journal Duhovni Život (1929–1942)
Slavko Slišković
; Catholic Faculty of Theology University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
In 1929, the Dominican friars of the Dalmatian Dominican Province of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary founded the publishing house Istina in their monastery of the Queen of the Holy Rosary in Zagreb. Within this institution, they published the journals Duhovni život, Gospina krunica, and Kalendar Gospine krunice, as well as books of ascetic and philosophical-theological content. Among these publications, the ascetic-mystical journal Duhovni život held a special place, appearing six times a year between 1929 and 1942, with a circulation ranging from 1,000 to 3,600 copies. The journal attracted numerous contributors who shaped Croatian Catholicism in the first half of the 20th century, as well as readers from various social strata, making it a reflection of Dominican thought among Croatians. Thematically, it encompassed and critically examined various aspects of ecclesiastical and social life, inevitably engaging with political issues during a turbulent period marked by profound transformations in the constitutional framework of both Croatian lands and Europe as a whole. Guided by Christian principles, the Dominican editors of the journal could not remain silent in the face of totalitarian ideologies that had established their own regimes and sought to eliminate dissenting views. This study undertakes an analysis of all published contributions in Duhovni život to present the political discourse of its editors and contributors, demonstrating how this discourse rendered the journal socially relevant but also led to its discontinuation. As the newly established Independent State of Croatia aligned itself with the fate of the aforementioned ideologies and their associated regimes, Duhovni život did not conform to the collectivist spirit of the time but instead positioned itself on the opposite side of the societal spectrum, soon becoming undesirable. Consequently, despite the official explanation attributing the journal’s cessation to a “paper shortage” this study concludes that the greater issue for the authorities was not the actual scarcity of paper but rather the content printed on it. Thus, the political discourse of this periodical was both its vital force and the true cause of its disappearance.
Keywords
Dominicans; Hijacint Bošković; publishing house Istina; magazine Duhov ni život; politics; totalitarian regimes
Hrčak ID:
333321
URI
Publication date:
8.7.2025.
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