Location

• Zagreb Trg Marka Marulića 21, Croatia 10000
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Languages

• Croatian

Website

• http://arhinet.arhiv.hr/details.aspx?ItemId=1_5660

Name of collection

• Rudi Supek Personal Papers

Provenance and cultural activities

• The collection of Croatian philosopher and sociologist Rudi Supek contains documents and photographs that testify to Supek's intellectual activity, which had been prevented in some phases of his life. Supek was the editor of two critically-oriented Marxist journals, Pogledi and Praxis, and as one of the main protagonists of the Korčula Summer School of Philosophy, he expressed views that did not align with those promoted by the Communist authorities. Supek's disagreement with the practices of the communist regime stemmed from his understanding of the position of intellectuals in society and his stance that there is no socialism without democracy. This collection also illustrates Supek's work as one of the pioneers of the environmental movement in Yugoslavia.

  The fund was not created with the predetermined goal of creating a collection that would bear witness to cultural opposition, but rather as a creator's archive. Rudi Supek was its primary creator and collector during his academic and private life. During Supek's life, but also after his death in 1993, the materials were kept in his home in Zagreb. After the death of Supek's second wife Vesna Kolarić Kišur (2004), Supek's granddaughter, Bojana Zupan, gave Supek's bequest to the Croatian State Archives (HDA) in 2005. In 2006 the archival processing by Marijan Bosnar commenced.

  The Rudi Supek Personal Papers are an example of a complete and well-preserved personal archive. They provide comprehensive insight into almost all aspects of Supek's academic career, as well as his critique of the system and political practices in socialist Yugoslavia. The Fund was never hidden from the communist authorities nor censored. It never received any additional financial support besides regular CSA financing for its maintenance.

  After Bosnar completed the archiving process, it was organised into 108 archive boxes and five archival sets. During the process, around 4.5 l/m of materials which had no lasting significance were extracted. These primarily consisted of calculations, fragments, accounts, etc. Also, 2.4 l/m of materials were separated from the fund and added to other CSA funds and collections, based on the principle of provenance. The issues of journals and newspapers, books and brochures related to sociological themes were submitted to the CSA Library, and the copies of Supek's articles and separate publications were donated to the Sociology Department of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, which maintains Supek's library. Supek's personal papers were archivally processed by Marijan Bosnar, who in 2008 wrote an analytical inventory and later published it as a separate book (Bosnar 2010).

  The collection is available to the public. The terms of use were defined by the donation contract of 19 July 2005, according to which the donor Bojana Zupan reserves the right to copy the audio-visual material. Besides Bojana Zupan, copyrights are reserved by the other legitimate heirs: Olga and Rudi Srđan Supek (d. in 2015), and the children of the late Rudi Supek. All of them retain copyrights until the expiry of the time specified by the Copyright Act, and after that period expires then the CSA may determine the terms of publication. The copyright holders must grant written permission for use of the materials for publication.

  Besides the analytical inventory, Marijan Bosnar published an article in the journal Arhivski vjesnik (Bosnar 2011). The inventory is also listed in a book published to mark the centenary of Rudi Supek’s birth (Cifrić et al., 2016), and Ante Lešaja used the collection and mentioned the inventory in his book Praxis and the Korčula Summer School (Lešaja 2014).

Description of content

• The fund includes 108 archive boxes and five sets. The material is preserved mostly in paper form, and there is also a significant number of audio and video clips recorded on optical media (36 CD audio tracks and two videos on DVDs). The fund also contains a considerable amount of photographs (2,932 photographs and five albums), and several books by various authors on the Buchenwald concentration camp have been preserved. Besides Croatian, the materials in Serbian, Slovenian, Macedonian, English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Czech, Romanian and Spanish can also be found.

  The collection is geographically primarily related to the territory of Croatia and the region of the former Yugoslav state. To a lesser extent, it is linked to Europe and North America, where Supek also resided as a university professor and scholar, and to the Nazi concentration camp in Buchenwald, Germany, where he was an inmate.

  The collection is mostly linked to his academic work, especially his activities in the fields of sociology and psychology. It also includes his documentation (ID cards, medical and retirement documentation, etc.), materials related to his education (certificates, notes, dissertation manuscript), his personal and business correspondence (more than 870 letters), awards and acknowledgements, press interviews, photographs of Supek and his family, friends and associates, audio and video recordings related to his professional activity and his death. There are also items related to the members of his family, his second wife Vesna, his daughter Olga and his son Rudi Srđan.

  The collection is arranged into 17 series: 1. Personal documents; 2. Education; 3. Academic career at universities; 4. Activities in academic, cultural and administrative institutions, commissions and associations; 5. Scholarly projects and other research work; 6. Scholarly and professional conferences, seminars, consultations, roundtables, courses and workshops; 7. Writings; 8. Editorial work; 9. Review work; 10. Seminars, discussions and lectures; 11. Correspondence; 12 Awards and acknowledgements; 13. Interviews and reactions; 14. Biobibliographic contributions on R. Supek; 15. Photographs; 16. Other members of Supek family; 17. Audio and video recordings.

  The materials which show Supek's dissent can be found in three facets. He was one of the founders and editor-in-chief of the journal Pogledi. The journal specialised in the theory of the social and natural sciences and was published from 1952 to 1954. Supek emphasised that the aim of the journal was opposition to the dogmatic treatment of Marxism. After publishing the article “Why is there no conflict of opinions in Yugoslavia?” in 1953, in which he stated that there is no conflict of opinions “because one group monopolises social life.” That “one group” was the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY), and that is why many pro-regime intellectuals attacked and criticised Supek. The LCY banned the journal in 1954. Supek's article is not preserved in the fund, but in an interview he reiterated his claims (Interview with Marijan Bosnar, July 18, 2017). The collection includes official editorial correspondence, newspaper clips (interviews, controversies, etc.) and various materials related to editing the journal.

  The materials related to the Korčula Summer School constitute another essential aspect of Supek’s dissident activities. The School was founded by Supek and another Croatian philosopher, Milan Kangrga. The School was held every summer in Korčula from 1963 until 1974. Originally conceived as an academic exercise, the School soon became an international event with free critical discussion on a different subject put to the fore each year. It was an international gathering of philosophers and sociologists from all over the world (e.g. Erich Fromm, Lucien Goldmann, Henri Lefebvre, Jürgen Habermas). The open character of the School and the different views which were presented at its meetings turned the ruling state-party structures against it. Though the School was attacked from the beginning of its existence. the final move against the School began in 1973, when the official party newspaper Komunist branded the School as “political opposition” and “philosophy outside of the Party”, alluding to the open character of the School and the participation of foreign intellectuals. Supek responded in a letter addressed to Komunist , defending the principle of free debate among people who had different opinions. Nevertheless, the School could no longer receive funding from any political or academic institution, so the 1974 session was the last one.

  The collection includes the School’s official correspondence, and documents on its foundation, brochures, programs, lectures, reports, press clippings, etc.

  The third significant aspect of Supek’s dissident activities is related to the philosophical journal Praxis, which was published from 1964 until 1974, four times a year in Croatian. Supek was a member of the journal’s editorial board. It also had international editions in English, French and German. The intellectuals gathered around the journal advocated a neo-Marxist approach to philosophy and sociology. They promoted a social system which should expand the individual's ability to act freely and creatively. From this point of view, they criticised capitalism and its understanding of human freedoms and rights which, according to them, leads to alienation. But they also criticised the free market elements which were introduced into the economic system of self-management socialism in Yugoslavia in the mid-1960s and certain other aspects of the Yugoslav socialist system which they considered over-bureaucratized. That is why they often came into conflict with the LCY. The journal suffered a fate similar to the School. The editors of Praxis were accused of being revisionists who abandoned Marxism in favour of subjectivist philosophy. The journal was repeatedly attacked and censored by the authorities, its financing was blocked, and even though it was not officially banned, its publication was prevented by a “self-managing censorship.” Two archive boxes contain a variety of materials relating to the journal Praxis: the official correspondence and announcements of the editorial board, articles, documents which demonstrate the political pressure on the journal (bans, attacks, dismissals of university professors from the faculty in Belgrade) and various materials related to the editing of the journal.

Content

• grey literature (regular archival documents such as brochures, bulletins, leaflets, reports, intelligence files, records, working papers, meeting minutes): 1000-
• manuscripts (ego-documents, diaries, notes, letters, drafts, etc.): 1000-
• photos: 1000-
• video recordings (including oral history recordings): 0-9
• voice recordings (including oral history recordings): 10-99

Operator(s)

• Croatian State Archives

Owner(s)

• Croatian State Archives
• Kolarić Kišur, Vesna
• Supek, Olga
• Supek, Rudi
• Zupan, Bojana

Stakeholder(s) of the collection

• Bosnar, Marijan

Geographical scope of recent operation

• international

Topics

• environmental protection (e.g. antinuclear movement)
• philosophical/theoretical movements (neomarxists, maoists, reform socialists, etc.)
• scientific criticism
• survivors of persecutions under authoritarian/totalitarian regimes

Founder(s)

• Supek, Rudi

Date of founding

• 1950

Place of founding

• Zagreb, Croatia
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Creator(s) of content

• Supek, Rudi

Collector(s)

• Supek, Olga
• Supek, Rudi

Supporters

• Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia

Important events in the history of the collection

• Donation of the Rudi Supek Personal Papers to the Croatian State Archives
• Publication: Osobni arhivski fond Rudi Supek. Analitički inventar (Rudi Supek Personal Papers. Analytical Inventory), 2010. Book

Featured items

• Letter from Rudi Supek to Milan Rakas, editor-in-chief of Komunist, 9 October 1973.
• Letter from the Joža Rožanković printing press addressed to the Praxis editorial board, notifying them of the cancellation of printing services, 19 March, 1975.
• Supek, Rudi, interview by Radio Zagreb, 1989. Audio recording
• Supek, Rudi. Foreword to the third edition of the book This only earth. 1989. Typescript
• “Rudi Supek Night”. 2001. Poster

Access type

• completely open to the public

Publications

• Bosnar, Marijan. 2010. Osobni arhivski fond Rudi Supek: analitički inventar (Rudi Supek personal archival fund: analytical inventory). Zagreb: Hrvatski državni arhiv.

Part of network

• European Archives Group
• International Association of Book and Paper Conservators
• International Centre of Archival Research (ICARUS)
• International Council on Archives

Author(s) of this page

• Mihaljević, Josip

References

Bosnar, Marijan. 2010. Osobni arhivski fond Rudi Supek: analitički inventar (Rudi Supek personal archival fund: analytical inventory). Zagreb: Hrvatski državni arhiv.
Bosnar, Marijan. 2011. “Rudi Supek i nacistički koncentracijski logor Buchenwald kroz arhivsko gradivo Hrvatskog državnog arhiva“ (“Rudi Supek and Buchenwald concentration camp in the records of Croatian State Srchives“). Arhivski vjesnik 54: 153-178.
Božović, Ratko R. 1993. „In memorim: Rudi Supek“. Luča 10, nu. 1: 125-128.
Cifrić, Ivan; Rade Kalanj, Tijana Trako Poljak (eds.). 2016. 100 godina rođenja Rudija Supeka i 50 godina Odsjeka za sociologiju Filozofskog fakulteta u Zagrebu (100th anniversary of the birth of Rudi Supek and 50th anniversary of the Department of Sociology of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb). Zagreb: FF press.
Cifrić, Ivan. 2016. „Supekova razmišljanja o društvenim uzrocima i posljedicama ekološke krize“ (“Supek's thoughts on social causes and consequences of environmental crisis“). In Cifrić, Ivan; Rade Kalanj, Tijana Trako Poljak (eds.), 100 godina rođenja Rudija Supeka i 50 godina Odsjeka za sociologiju Filozofskog fakulteta u Zagrebu (100th anniversary of the birth of Rudi Supek and 50th anniversary of the Department of Sociology of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb),  pp. 99-121. Zagreb: FF press.
Dojčinović, Ratko. 1991. “Prof. dr. Rudi Supek: intervju“ (“Prof. dr. Rudi Supek: interview“) Nokat (Novi karlovački tjednik), 7. 5. 1991.
Jakšić, Božidar. 2012. Praxis. Mišljenje kao diverzija (Praxis. Opinion as a diversion). Beograd: Službeni glasnik.
Kangrga, Milan. 1997. Izvan povijesnog događanja. Dokumenti jednog vremena (Outside historical events. Documents of an era). Split: Feral Tribune biblioteka.
Kuvačić, Ivan. 2008. Sjećanja (Memories). Zagreb: Razlog.
Lešaja, Ante. 2014. Praksis orijentacija, časopis Praxis i Korčulanska ljetna škola [građa] (Praksis Orientation, Journal Praxis and The Korčula Summer School [collection]). Beograd: Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.
Olujić Oluja, Dragomir i Krunoslav Stojaković (eds.). 2012. Praxis. Društvena kritika i humanistički socijalizam. Zbornik radova sa Međunarodne konferencije o jugoslavenskoj ljevici: Praxis-filozofija i Korčulanska ljetna škola (1963-1974). (Praxis. Social Criticism and Humanistic Socialism. Proceedings from the International Conference on the Yugoslav Left: Praxis philosophy and the Korčula Summer School (1963-1974)). Beograd: Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.
Sesardić, Neven. 1987. “Razmišljanja o filozofiji prakse“ (“Reflections on the Philosophy of Practice”). Theoria, nu. 1-2: 107–116.
Stipčević, Aleksandar. 2005. “Tiskari kao cenzori u Hrvatskoj: 1945. – 1990.” (“Printers acting as Censors in Croatia 1945-1990). Vjesnik bibliotekara Hrvatske 48, nu. 3/4: 1-15.
Supek, Rudi. 1989a. Ova jedina zemlja: idemo li u katastrofu ili Treću revoluciju? (This only earth: Are we heading toward disaster or the Third Revolution?) (3rd edition). Zagreb: Globus.
Supek, Rudi. 1989b. HR-HDA-1780. R. Supek, 17.4. Interview with Rudi Supek, Radio Zagreb 1989 (audio recording).
Supek, Rudi. 1990. Sociologija (Sociology) (16th edition). Zagreb: Školska knjiga.
Vranicki, Predrag. 1992 [1993]. „Rudi Supek (1913-1993): in memoriam“. Filozofska istraživanja 12, nu. 4(47): 807-810.

Bosnar, Marijan , interview by Mihaljević, Josip, July 18, 2017. COURAGE Registry Oral History Collection