International Academic Colloquium on BOSNIAN CYRILLIC HERITAGE

April 9 (Friday), Zoom

14:00–18:00

1. Introduction

Bosnian heritage has long been contested and undermined from a historical, cultural, and political perspective for largely ideological purposes, so that it often appears to lack a coherent identity. Strengthening social trust and building a sustainable political order require a reconstructive approach. This is our only way out of the black hole of nationalist obfuscation and division.

In our programme of research into and the collation of Bosnian cultural heritage, International Forum Bosnia has published the following volumes: Herta Kuna, Srednjovjekovna bosanska književnost [Mediaeval Bosnian Literature]; Anica Nazor, Radosavljeva bosanska knjiga, Zbornik krstjanina Radosava [Radosav''s Bosnian Book, the Miscellany of the Krstjanin Radosav]; Lejla Nakaš, Bosanska ćirilična pisma [Bosnian Cyrillic Letters]; idem, Vrutočko bosansko četveroevanđelje [the Vrutok Tetraevangelium]; idem,Bosanski psaltir iz zbornika Hvala krstjanina [the Bosnian Psalter from the Miscellany of Hval the Krstjanin]; idem, Plovdivska bosanska knjiga [the Plovdiv Miscellany]; idem, Paratekstualnost u bosanskoj srednjovjekovnoj književnost [Paratextuality in Bosnian mediaeval literature]; and Mehmed Kardaš, Bosansko četveroevanđelje: Sofijski odlomci [A Bosnian Tetraevangelium: the Sofia fragments]. This represents the most comprehensive research and publication project related to Bosnia''s Cyrillic Heritage to date.

Three publications by the Mladinska knjiga d. o. o. Sarajevo publishing house also represent an outstanding contribution in this regard: Emir O. Filipović''s Bosansko kraljevstvo: Historija srednjovjekovne bosanske države [The Bosnian kingdom: a history of the mediaeval Bosnian state], Esad Kurtović et al. (edd.),Codex diplomaticus Regni Bosnae, and now Lejla Nakaš (ed.) Mletački zbornik [the Venetian Miscellany].

The Venetian miscellany or Bosnian book is a Bosnian mediaeval manuscript. It reflects the religious and cultural worldviews present in Bosnia during the 14th and 15th centuries. This new edition is thus also a revelation of all that has been denied or condemned to oblivion in Bosnian culture. For more on the publication itself, see: https://mladinska.ba/product/mletacki-zbornik-bibliofilsko-faksimilno-izdanje_k/

2. Goal

IFB''s goal in organising this International colloquium is the scholarly presentation of this new edition of the Venetian miscellany or Bosnian book (Sarajevo: Mladinska knjiga, 2020) as a contribution to the broader effort to raising awareness of the significance of cultural heritage in the ongoing processes of political, cultural, and economic consolidation of Bosnia and Herzegovina both as a society and a state.

3. Format

There will be three panels, as follows:

The colloquium is open to participants from around the world. Details regarding the zoom invitation are attached.

Presentations and discussion will be recorded and made available to the public.

Presentations will in due course be published in the Forum Bosnae journal.