Monograph Ottoman Period Scholars from Bosnia and Herzegovina until the Late 20th Century - Biographical and Bibliographic Data by Prof. Dr. Enes Pelidija Promoted
Promotion of the two-volume monograph Ottoman Period Scholars from Bosnia and Herzegovina until the Late 20th Century - Biographical and Bibliographic Data by Prof. Dr. Enes Pelidije, UNSA professor emeritus, was held on 22 February 2022 in the UNSA Rectorate Ceremonial Hall.
This extensive work is the result of many years of research that brings valuable biographical and bibliographic data on 36 Ottoman period scholars whose works are crucial for further research in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Ottoman period.
The promotion was opened by Prof. Dr. Dženana Husremović, Vice-Rector for Teaching and Student Affairs and Mr. Jasmin Branković, Assistant for Science at the Federal Ministry of Education and Science.
Addressing on behalf of University of Sarajevo Rector, Vice Rector Husremović emphasized that Professor Pelidija gave himself the great task of presenting in one place biographical and bibliographical data on the Ottomans whose works are important for further research into the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Ottoman period.
“His experience and vast knowledge translated into these two volumes will enable generations to come to get to know the most important Ottomans of Bosnia and Herzegovina. These books should serve all of us to get acquainted with the great treasure that the Ottomans, from Safvet-beg Bašagić to Avda Sućeska, prepared so that these events that had a formative meaning for today's life would be recorded and studied in the continuity of our culture and society,” stated Vice-Rector Husremović, and pointed out that books and monographs, such as the one being promoted today, are of special importance and come at the right time.
Mr. Jasmin Branković expressed his satisfaction that the Federal Ministry of Education and Science is the publisher of this capital and pioneering work when it comes to the Ottoman period. He pointed out that he expects that this work will be a motive and in some way encourage other scholars to do what Professor Pelidija did when it comes to Ottoman studies.
“Professor Pelidija’s work is the result of decades of scientific research and the work is, in addition to its significance, a great relief to future, especially young researchers who will no longer have to wander around looking for information about who and whether published something. in this work and the ability to directly explore certain areas and certain topics,” said Mr. Branković.
The promoters of the two-volume monograph were Dr. Sedad Bešlija, University of Sarajevo - Institute of History, Dr. Elma Korić, University of Sarajevo - Oriental Studies Institute, Dr. Muamer Hodžić, University of Sarajevo - Oriental Studies Institute. The moderator was Dr. Hana Younis, University of Sarajevo - Institute for History.
Institute of History Director and book promoter, Dr. Sedad Bešlija stated that Ottoman-Bosnian relations in history lasted for 522 years - from 1386 to 1908. “Professor Emeritus Enes Pelidija has done a very important thing for the academic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in the region, and I would say to the wider academic community in the world that deals with Ottoman research by speaking and writing about all authors in two volumes for scientists, researchers, contemporaries who have dedicated part or all of their lives to Ottoman history, and are of Bosnian or Bosnian origin,” said Director Bešlija, adding “This is an extremely valuable work in the context of systematizing and synthesizing knowledge in the field historiography in BiH and beyond, but not only in the field of historiography, this work is extremely valuable from the encyclopedic and lexicography aspect in a broader sense.”
The author, Professor Emeritus Enes Pelidija, stated that as a long-term professor at the University, he noticed that there was a lack of full information about the Ottoman period, who was involved, what he wrote and where it was published.
“For this reason, in the last ten years, before retiring, I became more interested in the Ottomans of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from the earliest times to the end of the 20th century. It was a long work. Easy, patient, individual about individual orientalists , or more of them at the same time if they were interspersed with their works, articles and books, and I slowly agreed on all of them,” said Professor Pelidija. He also stated that the result of this many years of work are two published books and the third, which is in preparation.
He pointed out the high interest in the published books, adding that many archives and world libraries on five continents were interested in them.
Professor Emeritus Enes Pelidija published the first book on the Ottoman period scholars of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2019. It gave basic information about 11 Ottomans who wrote in the first half of the 20th century (from Safvet-beg Bašagić to Mehmed Handžić). In the second book, Professor Pelidija presented in one place the basic biographical and bibliographic data on 25 Ottomans whose works are important for further research into the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Ottoman period. In this book, Professor Pelidija provided basic information about the following Ottoman period scholars: Hamdija Kreševljaković, Hazim Šabanović, Osman Asaf Sokolović, Tajib M. Okić, Mehmed Mujezinović, Alija Bejtić, Seid M. Traljić, Vanče Boškov, Nedim Filiović, Muhamed Hadžijahić, Hamid Hadžibegić, Vasa Čubrilović, Branislav Đurđev, Fehim Dž. Spaho, Radovan Samardžić, Ismet Kasumović, Ešref Kovačević, Adem Handžić, Avdo Sućeska, Smail Balić, Hivzija Hasandedić, Milan Vasić, Salih Trako, Dušanka Bojanić and Ahmed S. Aličić. A third book has been announced in which he will talk “about ottoman period historians who wrote in one part of their works about the Ottoman period of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
The publisher of the two-volume monograph Ottoman Scholars from Bosnia and Herzegovina until the Late 20th Century - Biographical and Bibliographic Data is the Federal Ministry of Education and Science.
