The Influence of the Kulturkampf on the Reception of Translated Dutch Literature in Slovenia after World War II

The term Kulturkampf (cultural struggle) denotes the ideological and political conflict between liberal and Catholic forces within society. This study examines the impact of the Kulturkampf on the reception of Dutch-language literature in Slovenia from the end of World War II to 1990. By analyzing the historical development of Slovene translations of works written in Dutch, with particular attention to the writings of Gerrit Theodor Rotman, the egodocument of Dries van Coillie, and translated children’s literature and juvenile fiction, this study emphasizes how religious and political contexts shaped the publication and interpretation of these texts. The role of Catholic and liberal publishers, both before and after World War II, is highlighted, as well as how the communist regime intervened in the literary field after 1945 – through censorship and ideological control of literary content – leading to far-reaching consequences for the transfer, production, circulation, and ultimately, the reception of translated literature. A corpus analysis of Dutch-language works translated into Slovenene reveals that the Communist Party’s interventions were particularly focused on (the translations of) children’s and youth literature, which is a reflection of their broader ideological goals in shaping cultural narratives.