Image, religious training and education in the illustrated magazine Lluc (1921-1973)

Abstract

The use of photography as a research source in the history of education and the debate that it has generated has by now important and valuable contributions. In this sense, a line of research (with some contributions in recent years) has paid attention to the use of photography as a means to reinforce the textual discourse in the press and magazines illustrated in graphic reports of educational interest aimed at a general audience. Graphic or illustrated magazines are a source of documentation which is still unexplored by historians of education despite being abundant in Spain since the mid- 19th century. These magazines display plenty of school pictures –which are educational in a broader sense– taken by the pioneers of photojournalism. Therefore, in this article, we intend to approach to the use of photography in the illustrated magazine Lluc, in the period from 1921 to 1973, in order to underline the reports, news and information of educational interest that were published, in a general sense, including religious education. This publication must be analyzed and understood keeping in mind the diverse illustrated magazines appeared in Mallorca. Accordingly, we will study, on the one hand, the development of photojournalism and the illustrated press in any general way, and on the other hand, the origins and development of periodicals and graphic and illustrated magazines in the largest island of the Balearic archipelago, paying attention to publications, their editors and their rich photographic archives.

Key Words: photography, illustrated magazines, religious training, education, Lluc, Mallorca.