The publication of a paper concerning sex and contraception triggered the expulsion of Žarko Puhovski from the League of Communists of Croatia during his youth. This event preceded a career defined by political analysis, human rights advocacy, and extensive academic contributions within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb, where he spent decades teaching political philosophy.
Academic Trajectory
Born in Zagreb in 1946, Puhovski attended the V Gymnasium Zagreb before pursuing higher education at the University of Zagreb and the Goethe University Frankfurt. Initially studying physics for two years, he redirected his focus toward political sciences. By 1973, he completed his graduation and accepted a position as an assistant at the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Zagreb. His teaching career expanded internationally through guest lectures at universities in Berlin, Frankfurt, London, Brighton, Klagenfurt, and Valencia.
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Puhovski held various editorial roles, starting with his 1969 appointment as editor-in-chief of Omladinski tjednik, a tenure that ended after four months when the publication was banned for insulting the President of the Republic. He continued editorial work for journals including Ideje, Kulturni radnik, Praxis, Teka, and Filozofska istraživanja. In 1988, he participated in the creation of the Association for Yugoslav Democratic Initiative, an early alternative political organization.
Human Rights and Philosophy
In 1993, he began his long-term involvement with the Croatian Helsinki Committee, acting as its president from 2000 until 2007. His scholarly output encompasses approximately two hundred works in fields such as ethics, jurisprudence, and political philosophy. Notable titles include Interes i zajednica, Kontekst kulture, Povijest i revolucija, Um i društvenost, Socijalistička konstrukcija zbilje, and Leksikon temeljnih pojmova politike. In 1993, he received the European Club of Rectors Extraordinary Award for Peace and against Xenophobia.
Fast facts
- Born: 1946, Zagreb
- Citizenship: Croatia
- Education: V Gymnasium Zagreb, Goethe University Frankfurt, University of Zagreb
- Presidency: Croatian Helsinki Committee (2000–2007)
- Fields: Philosophy, Political Science, Human Rights
- Award: European Club of Rectors Extraordinary Award for Peace and against Xenophobia (1993)
Questions readers ask
What subjects does Žarko Puhovski address in his writing?
He publishes works regarding political philosophy, ethics, the philosophy of culture, jurisprudence, and social sciences.
Which international organizations has he been associated with?
He is a member of The Ethikon Institute in Los Angeles and serves as the scientific director of the European University Center for Peace Studies in Austria.
Achievements
- Held posts at Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
- Fields: political science, philosophy and human rights
