Historia Crítica (Jan 2023)
Juan de Dios Romero y las prácticas editoriales del socialismo colombiano (1920-1934)
Abstract
Objective/Context: The article proposes an analysis of the political trajectory and editorial activity of the Colombian socialist Juan de Dios Romero from 1920 to 1934. It shows how Romero contributed to the redefinition of the local left-wing political culture by producing and publishing a variety of printed matter that positioned the socialist ideology among broader sectors and oriented a common political framework for its action. Methodology: Based on a detailed review of Romero’s private archive and a set of press sources, his itinerary and his work in publishing activities are reconstructed. The approach to the sources analyses their materiality and the role played by printed material in configuring the socialist political community. Originality: The article contributes to the studies on the history of publishing and political culture and focuses on Romero’s activity as a multifaceted editor who published newspapers, pamphlets and workers› almanacs. As far as the sources indicate, this proliferation of formats is a novel fact in the contemporary Colombian context: Romero produced and printed a variety of media that contributed to the configuration of a leftwing political language, to the circulation of new symbols and to explore a time frame that diversified the usual Catholic and republican references. This, in turn, allows for a broader understanding of the political and editorial scenario of the period. Conclusion: The article suggests an approach to the editorial world of the contemporary Colombian socialist universe, following Romero’s intellectual itinerary and various printed devices through which the left-wing political culture was articulated. This approach reveals a perspective of analysis that links the most robust printed devices with the ephemera to identify the redefinition of new symbolic frameworks in the local socialist culture.
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