„Za Boha a národ!“: How the Slovak Language Press in America Helped Form Slovak-American Identity
„Za Boha a národ!“: How the Slovak Language Press in America Helped Form Slovak-American Identity
Author(s): BEN SORENSENSubject(s): Media studies, Western Slavic Languages, Labor relations, 19th Century, Pre-WW I & WW I (1900 -1919), Ethnic Minorities Studies, Politics and Identity, Identity of Collectives
Published by: Slavistický ústav Jána Stanislava Slovenskej akadémie vied
Keywords: Slovak immigration; labor; strikes; literacy; Slovak language press; Slovak – American identity;
Summary/Abstract: This research explores Slovak-American identity formation through the Slovak Language Press in late 1800s and early 1900s North America. Publications like Jednota, Amerikansko-Slovenske Noviny, and Slovak v Amerike promoted literacy, political awareness, and shaped much of the Slovak-American identity. Remarkably, Amerikansko-Slovenske Noviny had more subscribers than all Slovak newspapers in Slovakia combined, and therefore also exerted a much greater impact on the Slovak-American identity. We also examine the contrast between the press’s portrayal of Slovak-American worldviews and the historical reality of their experience, as well as their current identity and worldview, as well as the enduring influence of Jednota, the oldest Slovak-English continuously published newspaper, on today’s Slovak-American identity.
Journal: Slavica Slovaca
- Issue Year: 58/2023
- Issue No: 03
- Page Range: 547-554
- Page Count: 8
- Language: English