03.12.2012
Presentation of monograph "Old Serbia: Drama of a Civilization"
The book “Old Serbia: drama of a Civilization” by Slavenko Terzic, scientific advisor of the Historical Institute of the SASA, was presented in the Central Military Club.Apart from a number of historians and book lovers, the promotion was attended by representatives of the Serbian Government, the Serbian Patriarch Irinej with Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, scientific, cultural and public figures and representatives of the Serbian political establishment and the Serbian Armed Forces.
The richly illustrated monograph on nearly 700 pages tells about the concept of Old Serbia, political, social, cultural history of Raska, Kosovo and Metohia region in the 19th and 20th century.
A monumental encyclopedia by Slavenko Terzic, published in the edition of the ‘Orthodox Word’ from Novi Sad and the History Institute, said the Academician Michael Vojvodić, who was also one of its reviewers, the famous Orientalist and Ambassador of Yugoslavia and Serbia in Turkey and Vatican, Darko Tanaskovic, and historian Ljubodrag Dinić.
Pointing out that, when it comes to events in the region known under concept of Old Serbia, the author cites a number of examples of some apparent confusion in the historical and national consciousness of the Serbian people; Tanasković mentioned significant qualities of this monumental publication, for preparation of which numerous domestic and foreign archives and archival material of many volumes were used. However, although previous sources and studies of author dedicated to areas called Old Serbia they are present in a part of the book, some "holes in its previous historiographical activity" are explainable by, according to Tanaskovic, among other things, historical and national confusion, pressures of the major powers and the decades even the two century long tragedy of civilization in these parts.
Reading the scientific work in which the author did not run away from the polemical tone, some better connoisseours of the historical events in the Old Serbia over two centuries might ask themselves, while the word civilization is included in the title of the book, rather than more appropriately – nation. In order to try to find the answer on that question, the optimists will probably say that Dr Terzic gave the Serbian nation another chance. Chance which they will be able to use in the future only if enough attention is devoted to their political, geographical, cultural history of the area in which the indigenous peoples were always provided litle chances.Inevitably putting the focus of historical events in the Balkans great powers and their interests, Slavenko Terzic in his book draws on a number of the foreign authors, but also on the books of our renowned historians like Stojan Novakovic, John Cvijic ...
The true drama of the Serbian people and its civilization in the area of Old Serbia was not possible to tell, said Slavenko Terzic, without explaining tangent relationship with the parent Serbia, or with that part of the Balkan Peninsula which has always been the lifeblood of the Serbian people. Therefore, numerous chapters of the book are devoted to both areas termed Belgrade Pashalik, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country to which Serbs always inclined. Perhaps, according to Tanaskovic, PhD, in that eternal orientation of the Serbs to the north, lies the real reason for confusion when it comes to the southern regions of Serbia, or the Old Serbia. Answers to that question are in the book “Old Serbian: drama of a civilization” by Slavenko Terzic.
