STEVAN ROCA AND SOUTH SERBIA

Abstract

The paper sheds light on the complex activities of Stevan (Stjepan) Roca, a Dalmatian teacher and public worker, whose engagement in the interwar period served as a powerful mechanism for the cultural connection between Dalmatia and South Serbia. Based on unpublished archival material from Roca’s personal legacy, newspapers and relevant scientific literature, the study points to the role of the individual in the processes of strengthening the internal ties of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Special attention is paid to Roca’s travels in 1926 and 1927, during which a specific cultural transfer between the Adriatic and southern parts of the state was carried out through lectures and visual materials. The paper also analyzes his attitude towards the Balkan Wars, as well as his participation in the shaping of the culture of remembrance, especially through cooperation with memorial associations and the affirmation of the suffering in Surdulica within his journalistic and literary work.

A significant segment of the paper consists of the analysis of Marija Roca’s records regarding the public ceremonies at Zebrnjak in 1937 and Kosovo in 1939, which provide insight into symbolic rituals, the culture of everyday life, and the emotional experience of national unity in the interwar period. The paper further indicates the continuity of Roca’s ideological and public engagement, which continued under altered political circumstances even after his relocation to Belgrade in 1940.