Magazines as a Way of Maintaining Regional Intra-Ethnic Communication. The Case of Balkan Jewish Periodicals
Magazines as a Way of Maintaining Regional Intra-Ethnic Communication. The Case of Balkan Jewish Periodicals

Summary/Abstract: This study concentrates on the El Amigo del puevlo, Hashalom and Jevrejski glasnik magazines, which were published in Belgrade and Sofia in the period from 1888 to 1925, analysing their role in the social, cultural and political life of the Balkan Jews. These periodicals aimed at providing Jews with news and information from the whole region and enabled communication among them, as well as expression of their cultural and political views. They contain a valuable source of information but are difficult to access because they were written in Judeo-Spanish with Hebrew characters. The study also draws special attention to the historical and social analysis of the texts and the influence of other Balkan cultures in them, especially in the areas of language, folklore and tradition. The beginning of the 20th century was a time of modernization and cultural transition for the whole region. In this context, the Balkan Jews represent an interesting sociolinguistic phenomenon. They were bilinguals in a monolingual environment and maintained their language with great effort, although they were not immune to the influences of other languages spoken in the region. This work examines the extent and the type of these influences.

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