Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Encyclopedia
National academy
A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, most frequently in the sciences but also the humanities. Typically the country's learned societies in...
of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. It was founded in 1866 as the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts , and was known by that name for most of its existence.
History
The institution was founded in ZagrebZagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in 1866 as the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts. The bishop and benefactor Josip Juraj Strossmayer
Josip Juraj Strossmayer
Josip Juraj Strossmayer was a Croatian politician, Roman Catholic bishop and benefactor.-Early life and rise as a cleric:...
, a prominent advocate of higher education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
during the 19th century Croatian national romanticism
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...
, set up a trust fund for this purpose and in 1860 submitted a large donation to the then viceroy (ban
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
) of Croatia Josip Šokčević
Josip Šokcevic
Baron Josip Šokčević , was a Croatian viceroy , lieutenant marshal and governor of the Serbian Voivodship and Banat of Temeschwar.-Life:...
for the cause of being able to
After some years of deliberations by the Croatian Parliament and the Emperor Franz Joseph, it was finally sanctioned by law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in 1866. The official sponsor was Josip Juraj Strossmayer, while the first Chairman of the Academy was the distinguished Croatian historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Franjo Rački
Franjo Racki
Franjo Rački was a Croatian historian, politician and writer. He compiled important collections of old Croatian diplomatic and historical documents, wrote some pioneering historical works, and was a key founder of the Yugoslavian Academy of Sciences and Arts.-Historian:Rački was born in Fužine,...
. Đuro Daničić was elected for secretary general of the Academy, where he played a key role in preparing the Academy's Dictionary, "Croatian or Serbian Dictionary of JAZU".
The Academy's creation was the logical extension of the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
, the institution initially created in 1669 and also renewed by bishop Strossmayer in 1874. Bishop Strossmayer also initiated the building of the Academy Palace in the Zrinjevac park of Zagreb, and the Palace was completed in 1880. In 1884, the Palace also became a host of The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters
The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters
The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters is a fine art museum in Zagreb, Croatia exhibiting the collection donated to the city by Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer in 1884...
that contained 256 works of art (mostly paintings). The same is today one of the most prominent art galleries
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
in Zagreb.
The Academy published the scientific magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Rad (Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
for "work") between 1867 and 1882, when each of the individual scientific classes of the Academy started printing their own magazines. A total of almost five hundred issues have been printed up to now. In 1887, the Academy published the first "Ljetopis" as a year book, as well as several other publications in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
.
Ivan Supek
Ivan Supek
Ivan Supek was a Croatian physicist, philosopher, writer, playwright, peace activist and humanist.-Early years and education:Supek was born on April 8, 1915 in Zagreb, Croatia...
, Mihailo Petrović
Mihailo Petrovic
Mihailo Petrović Alas , was an influential Serbian mathematician and inventor. He was also a distinguished professor at Belgrade University, an academic of the Serbian Royal Academy, and a fisherman. He was a student of Henri Poincaré, Charles Hermite and Charles Émile Picard...
, Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger
Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger
Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger was a Croatian geologist, paleontologist, and archeologist.-Education:...
and Lavoslav Ružička
Lavoslav Ružicka
Lavoslav Ružička FRS born as Lavoslav Ružička was a Croatian scientist and winner of the 1939 Nobel Prize in Chemistry who worked most of his life in Switzerland...
were JAZU members.
Name changes
The Academy briefly changed name from "Yugoslav" to "Croatian" between 1941 and 1945 during the AxisAxis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
client regime of the Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
.
It was permanently renamed "Croatian" in 1991 after Croatia gained independence from Yugoslavia.
Departments
The Academy is divided into nine departments (classes):- Department of Social Sciences
- Department of Mathematical, Physical and Chemical Sciences
- Department of Natural Sciences
- Department of Medical Sciences
- Department of Philological Sciences
- Department of Literature
- Department of Fine Arts
- Department of Music and Musicology
- Department of Technical Sciences
Membership
There are four classes of members:- Full members
- Associate members
- Honorary members
- Corresponding members
The number of full members and corresponding members is limited to 160 each, while the maximum number of associate members is 100. Number of full members per department is limited to 24. Only the full members may carry the title of "academician
Academician
The title Academician denotes a Full Member of an art, literary, or scientific academy.In many countries, it is an honorary title. There also exists a lower-rank title, variously translated Corresponding Member or Associate Member, .-Eastern Europe and China:"Academician" may also be a functional...
" (F.C.A., (male members) or (female members)).
Chairmen
| Image | Chairman | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Franjo Rački Franjo Racki Franjo Rački was a Croatian historian, politician and writer. He compiled important collections of old Croatian diplomatic and historical documents, wrote some pioneering historical works, and was a key founder of the Yugoslavian Academy of Sciences and Arts.-Historian:Rački was born in Fužine,... |
1866-1886 | |
| Pavao Muhić | 1886-1890 | |
| Josip Torbar | 1890-1900 | |
| Tadija Smičiklas Tadija Smiciklas Tadija Smičiklas was a Croatian historian and politician.Smičiklas finished gymnasium in Zagreb at the Greek Catholic seminary, and went on to study history and geography in the then imperial capital Vienna... |
1900-1914 | |
 |
Tomislav Maretić Tomislav Maretic Tomislav Maretić was a Croatian linguist and lexicographer.He attended primary school in Virovitica and the gymnasium in Varaždin, Požega and Zagreb... |
1914-1918 |
| Vladimir Mažuranić | 1918-1921 | |
| Gustav Janečak | 1921-1924 | |
| Gavro Majnolović | 1924-1933 | |
| Albert Bazala | 1933-1941 | |
| Tomo Matić | 1941-1946 | |
| Andrija Štampar Andrija Štampar Andrija Štampar was a distinguished scholar in the field of social medicine from Croatia.-Education:... |
1946-1958 | |
| Grga Novak Grga Novak Grga Novak was a distinguished Croatian historian, archaeologist and geographer, President of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts from 1958 to 1978. Born on the island of Hvar, he was Professor of Ancient History in the University of Zagreb, where he was also Rector in 1946-1947... |
1958-1978 | |
| Jakov Sirotković | 1978-1991 | |
| Ivan Supek Ivan Supek Ivan Supek was a Croatian physicist, philosopher, writer, playwright, peace activist and humanist.-Early years and education:Supek was born on April 8, 1915 in Zagreb, Croatia... |
1991-1997 | |
| Ivo Padovan | 1997-2004 | |
 |
Milan Moguš Milan Moguš -Biography:He is born in Senj, where he finished primary school and high school. In the academic year 1948/49 he attended in Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb and he graduated in 1953... |
2004-2010 |
| Zvonko Kusić Zvonko Kusić Zvonko Kusić is a Croatian physician, professor of oncology and nuclear medicine, Head of the Department of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine of the Sisters of Charity University Hospital in Zagreb and President of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts .- Biography :Zvonko Kusić, MD, PhD, Fellow... |
2010-present | |
Criticism
The Academy has recently been criticized to the effect that membership and activities are based on academic cronyismCronyism
Cronyism is partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications. Hence, cronyism is contrary in practice and principle to meritocracy....
and political favor rather than on scientific and artistic merit. In 2006 matters came to a head with the Academy's refusal to induct Dr. Miroslav Radman
Miroslav Radman
Miroslav Radman is a prominent Croatian biologist and a member of the French Academy of Sciences. Radman's specialty is DNA repair; in 1974 he discovered the SOS response...
, an accomplished biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
, a member of the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
, and an advocate of a higher degree of meritocracy
Meritocracy
Meritocracy, in the first, most administrative sense, is a system of government or other administration wherein appointments and responsibilities are objectively assigned to individuals based upon their "merits", namely intelligence, credentials, and education, determined through evaluations or...
and accountability in Croatian academia
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
. His supporters within the Academy and the media decried the decision as reinforcing a politically-motivated, unproductive status quo.
Dr. Ivo Banac
Ivo Banac
-External links:*...
, a Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
professor and then a deputy in the Croatian parliament
Parliament of Croatia
The Parliament of Croatia or the Sabor is the unicameral representative body of the citizens of the Republic of Croatia and legislature of the country. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, represents the people and is vested with the legislative power...
, addressed the chamber in a speech decrying a "dictatorship of mediocrity" in the Academy, while Globus
Globus (weekly)
Globus is a Croatian weekly news magazine published in Zagreb.The magazine was started in 1990, having some of its first issues published during the Croatian War of Independence. Originally devised as tabloid, it never took an openly chauvinist approach of Slobodni tjednik and always tried to give...
columnist Boris Dežulović
Boris Dežulovic
Boris Dežulović is a Croatian journalist and writer, best known as one of the founders of the now defunct satirical magazine Feral Tribune.Dežulović studied art history at the University of Split....
satirized the institution as an "Academy of stupidity and obedience." Dr. Vladimir Paar
Vladimir Paar
Vladimir Paar is a Croatian physicist and university professor.Paar was born in Zagreb. He graduated from the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, where he is currently a professor...
and others defended the Academy's decision, averring that it did take pains to include accomplished scientists but that, since Dr. Radman's work has mostly taken place outside Croatia, it was appropriate that he remain a Corresponding rather than a Full Member of the Academy
Ivan Đikić, an accomplished Croatian scientist, working at the Goethe University Frankfurt, and as of 2010 a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, had previously not been able to join HAZU even as an associate member. Nenad Ban, a distinguished molecular biologist from ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
, is another member of Leopoldina who has not been admitted to HAZU.
External links
- Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
- Zakon o Hrvatskoj akademiji znanosti i umjetnosti Milan Moguš - čuvar tradicije Hrvatske akademije - an interview with Milan MogušMilan Moguš-Biography:He is born in Senj, where he finished primary school and high school. In the academic year 1948/49 he attended in Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb and he graduated in 1953...
in NacionalNacional (weekly)Nacional is a Croatian weekly newsmagazine published in Zagreb.-History:Nacional was started in 1995 by Denis Kuljiš, Ivo Pukanić and other journalists dissatisfied with the editorial policies of Croatian weekly newspaper Globus. Both publications were hostile to the ruling HDZ government... - Intelektualna krema pred vratima HAZU-a
- VIJENAC 80 - Svjeza krv u Akademiji
- HAZU: najskuplji starački dom