The voice of tradition: Catholic Women’s Unity and the promotion of anti-modernism in Slovakia, 1920-1948

• Authors: Gabriela Pošteková

Title variants

SK

Hlas tradície: katolícka jednota žien a podpora antimodernizmu na Slovensku v rokoch 1920-1948

• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The study analyzes the development of anti-modernism in Slovakia in the first half of the twentieth century, focusing on the women’s organization Catholic Women’s Unity (Katolícka jednota žien), founded in 1920. The organization was closely associated with the Hlinka’s Slovak People’s Party (Hlinkova slovenská ľudová strana, HSĽS), which sought to preserve traditional Christian values in Slovak society. Through a linguistic analysis of articles published in the magazine Katolícka jednota [Catholic Unity], the author shows how the organization promoted women’s public engagement, especially in relation to maternal roles that went beyond the traditional framework of the “family hearth”. In her introduction, the author situates the topic within the broader European context of the development of feminism and modernity. She notes that the organization initially entirely rejected the ideas of secular feminism, which its members felt threatened the family and religious principles, but gradually their attitudes shifted towards the ideas of Christian feminism. These efforts included social initiatives and the defense of Christian values and moral principles. According to the author, the organization gradually merged traditional values with the societal changes of the modern era, while redefining women’s roles following religious principles. The advent of the Slovak state heralded a regression from Christian feminism to traditionalism in the Catholic Women’s Union and in the pages of the magazine. The study examines the cognitive frameworks that shaped the thinking of the association as well as the linguistic strategies the organization employed to disseminate its views, and concludes that the Catholic Women’s Unity’s resistance to modernization, particularly in a religious and conservative context, became an integral part of the broader process of social transformation and modernization itself. In the conclusion, the author highlights the paradox that resistance to change often constitutes a form of active participation in it, and shows that even the most conservative movements could play a key role in shaping modern social and political developments.

Keywords

EN

Slovakia; Czechoslovakia; First Czechoslovak Republic; Slovak State; Slovak women; Catholic Church; Catholic Women’s Unity (Katolícka jednota žien); Katolícka jednota [Catholic Unity] magazine; Catholicism; anti-modernism; feminism; Christian feminism; Eugen Filkorn

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Soudobé dějiny (Contemporary History)
• Year: 2024
• Volume: 31
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 718-748
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Gabriela Pošteková

• Soudobé dějiny, redakce, Ústav pro soudobé dějiny AV ČR, v.v.i., Vlašská 9, 118 40 Praha 1, Czech Republic