A MODEL FOR A MAGAZINE AT THE SERVICE OF NATIONAL IDENTITY

This doctoral thesis, read in 2003 at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, describes the weekly magazine, Mirador, as the first of a new type of magazine that broke with the dominant doctrinal journalism prevalent until 1929. The editorial policy behind Mirador sought to orient rather than convince, especially in the realm of cultural events, but also in the areas of political and social phenomena. The model for Mirador came from French precedents of the 1920s and 1930s and continued in Catalonia after Mirador in magazines such as Destino. The thesis is based on an exhaustive reading of all the issues of Mirador and combines quantitative analysis of the uses of genres and themes with critical discourse analysis. This study reveals, for instance, an editorial policy directed toward helping to improve the country, a presentation of possible actions for individuals and collectives channeled toward improving social cohesion, and a defense of patronizing Catalan cultural products.