The Compatriot Magazine “Jednota”: A Mirror of Hundred-Year History of Slovak Immigrants in the USA

Abstract

It was mainly the Slovak-American press that had unified the Slovak immigrant community in the USA. It represented a relevant source of information about the Slovak community life as well as about the situation back home in Europe. Today, the preservation of Slovak cultural heritage in an extensive assimilation process of the American Slovaks in the USA is of high significance. The primary objective of the article is to summarize the data obtained by the study of one of the most influencial compatriot periodicals (Jednota – The Union) in the USA as it represents an important part of the Slovak cultural heritage. Key words Slovak immigration, USA, compatriot periodicals Immigrant communities abroad represent a relevant part of the history of both home and host countries. Cultural heritage of immigrants reflects their life abroad as well as the situation back at home from their point of view. Cultural identity and language preservation of minorities living abroad are involved in charters and conventions of both national and international associations. All of them emphasize the importance of enhancing and supporting the activities of compatriots living abroad that keep them linked with their native country. The UNESCO and the European Council have the responsibility to formulate strategies and policies to respect and protect the traditional knowledge, to safeguard the linguistic heritage and to support expression, creation and dissimilation in the greatest possible number of languages. More than 2.8 million people of Slovak origin are scattered all over the world of which two thirds live in the USA (Holestiak, 2002). However, the Slovak Republic has joined these activities only after the fall of communism in 1989. The period before had represented a dark side of the flow of information about the Slovak immigration and their activities. One of the primary goals of Slovak foreign policy today is to protect the linguistic, cultural and religious identity of Slovak immigrants and to assure the cooperation and communication between the Slovak Republic and the compatriot organizations abroad. Consequently, the Slovak government has committed to consecutive financial intervention to encourage compatriot publishers and literary work of fraternal societies to meet international agreements. As the manifestation of the Slovak culture preservation abroad is reflected mainly in literary and publishing work, theatrical and musical performance and folk art. The framework of Slovak cultural identity is formed by three major elements – community, language and religion. To keep the Slovak cultural and national identity in the context of political and social situation both in Europe and in America was not easy. In early years of Slovak settlement in the USA, the Slovaks were just anonymous ethnic group within a large multi-ethnical environment. Since the Slovak national identity was not assured until the gain of independence from 1939 to 1945 and then later in 1993, religion played an important role in their self-identity. It represented an integral part of the Slovak everyday life and their struggle with tough reality. Christian traditions, holiday rituals and customs were kept in immigrant