Špiro Kulišic
Encyclopedia
Špiro Kulišić was a controversial Montenegrin ethnologist
and one of the founders of the Montenegrin autochtonist school.
He worked on ethnographic and ethnologic
studies in Bosnia and Herzegovina
and in Belgrade
. He studied Lepenski Vir
and then published the "Serbian Mythological Dictionary" in 1970 together with Petar Ž. Petrović and Nikola Pantelić, dedicating himself to the research of Slavic mythology
.
) by the state Pobjeda
in 1980, known as "On the Ethnogenesis of the Montenegrins". This work sparked a huge amount of controversy in the public, as since the 1970s there was a developing theory on the authochtonous school about the Montenegrins' ethnic origin, whereas the dominant one until then was that Montenegrins were of Serbian ethnic background, this work being one of the key founders of the theory. Almost immediately a discussion was opened by the Montenegrin elite & intelligence in Titograd's Marxist Center, where renowned Montenegrin academicians Dr Dimitrije Vujović, Dr Rastislav Petrović and Dr Nikola Vukčević
discussed through the fallacious elements of this work. Špiro Kulišić was invited to attend, but he chose not to, and remained silent regarding the countless critics until the end of his life. The Chairman of the Montenegrin Presidency Veljko Milatović
defended his work in the discussion valiantly, but remained only on word and without presentation of arguments.
His main thesis centered on the uniqueness of the Docleans, residents of the ancient Slavic Duklja
that existed partially on the territory of the Republic of Montenegro, a people distinct from Serbs
or Croats
, and how they are the common ancestors of the Montenegrins. He defined that the Docleans were a mixture-nation of the Slavic migrants and the autochthonous ancient romanized ancestral population of Duklja's territory (unlike the purely Slavic Serbs), as well as that never ever had the Serbs lived in Montenegro, just only in the early Medieval Ages one small number of Croats, next to the Docleans. It is his argument that there weren't greater migrations of Serbs into Montenegro from the time of the arrival of the Ottoman Empire
and that all of the migrations were local inter-Montenegrin, that the Zetans have kept until the end of the Middle Ages their distinctive identity, as well as that the Serbian intelligence Serbianized the Montenegrins in historical record, which also thus led to the alleged illusion in Montenegrin scholarship that the Montenegrins belong to the same people with the Serbs.
, Jovan Cvijić
and Jovan Erdeljanović. His claims were quite often compared to those of the Montenegrin Ustashas from the WWII era for a period of time, Savić Marković "Štedimlija"
and Sekule Drljević. He fallaciously presented in his book as if Byzantine
and other early Medieval sources as if they talk only about Docleans and sometimes Croats, when actually they quite continually talk about Serbs for Duklja.
Kulišić had turned out to be severely self-contradicting in his book, one of the examples being the impossible and historically incorrect claim that the Docleans were a mixture of romanized Vlachs
and migrant Slavs, when science remembers that there could not have been any greater mixture of the majority Slavs with the others up to the 18th century, and then the subsequent talk about Vlachs far after the Medieval Ages. He mixed writers quite often, falsely connoting historical findings to them, such as in the case of John Skylitzes
. Another fact was the claim of arrival of a Serbian national element into Montenegro across Serbia's dominating intelligence, quite fallaciously ignoring the countless of sources that signify the national Serb element all the way to the Medieval Age. One of the most outrageous things was blatant falsification of sources (such as those of Branislav Đurđev) which he called upon for the migrations period as evidence of solely inter-migrations within Montenegro, as pointed out by Prof. Dr Rastislav Petrović, when quite on the contrary evidence points out to up to 90% of Montenegro's population having roots outside Montenegro; or not pointing out that most of the migrants from Albania
were of Slavic
ethnic origin themselves. Some parts of Kulišić's book reach outright absurdity, such as with the claim on the origin of the "family" word in Montenegro, or comparing several Montenegrin traditions to the Caucasian as a proof of the autochtonousness of the Montenegrins, quite blatantly ignoring the fact that they are completely identical to those of Central Serbia. Most of Kulišić's arguments have limited themselves to plain unproven declarations, or scientifically contradicting ones like the claim that there is a unique Montenegrin dialect within the AVNOJ borders of Montenegro, when AFAIK the population of Montenegro speaks two carefully separated dialects of Serbo-Croatian
: East Herzegovinian, which is also spoken by a huge mass of the Serbs, and partially Zetan-South Sandžak (Sjenica).
Dr Novak Ražnatović:
Milija Stanišić:
Milija Komatina:
Prof. Dr Rastislav Petrović:
One of the greatest Montenegrin Communist academicians, Dr Dimo Vujović:
Numerous other Montenegrin experts have questioned Kulišić's thesis like Dr Đoko Pejović or later Batrić Jovanović
, while the great Montenegrin ethnologue and historian Nikola Vukčević even wrote an entire book in 1981 as a response known as "The Ethnic Origin of the Montenegrins" in far greater detail and sourceness that Kulišić's far smaller book.
Kulišić's book was, however, positively criticized by the three prime leaders of Montenegrin distinctiveness. The first is the somewhat controversial linguist Dr Vojislav Nikčević
, who from the 1970s presented the idea of separateness of a Montenegrin language
away from Serbo-Croat as is the father of the Montenegrin language idea, considers Kulišić's work a "very valuable and important scientific work". The other is Dr Radoslav Rotković, who is known for his a bit questionable studies of the Tribes in Montenegro
, which he identified as if they have constituated themselves before their migration to the Balkans on the soil of modern-day Germany
and as such migrated to the Balkans and preserved their identity. The third is a renowned Montenegrin historian by the name of Dragoje Živković, a moderate proponent of the Montenegrin distinctiveness from the Serbs, who claimed that Kulišić's work is the first to brake the myths and illusions in Montenegrin history.
Over the years this book of Špiro Kulišić has become the conceiving cradle of the Autochtonist Doclean school, centered at the establishment of a distinct Montenegrin language, a Montenegrin Orthodox Church
and Montenegro's independence from its common state with Serbia, a view of history promoted throughout the 1990s by the Doclean Academy of Sciences and Arts
. Since Montenegro's independence from Serbia and Montenegro
and the other political changes of the 21st century, Kulišić's works and their continuations of members of his school have received a considerable growth and some popularity amongst the public.
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...
and one of the founders of the Montenegrin autochtonist school.
He worked on ethnographic and ethnologic
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...
studies in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. He studied Lepenski Vir
Lepenski Vir
Lepenski Vir is an important Mesolithic archaeological site located in Serbia in the central Balkan peninsula. It consists of one large settlement with around ten satellite villages. The evidence suggests the first human presence in the locality around 7000 BC with the culture reaching its peak...
and then published the "Serbian Mythological Dictionary" in 1970 together with Petar Ž. Petrović and Nikola Pantelić, dedicating himself to the research of Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion....
.
Ethnogenesis of Montenegrins
His life's work was published in the Montenegrin capital of Titograd (modern-day PodgoricaPodgorica
Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement...
) by the state Pobjeda
Pobjeda
Pobjeda is a Montenegrin newspaper. Having been published for 66 years, it is the oldest Montenegrin newspaper still in circulation. It is the oldest Montenegrin active media, too....
in 1980, known as "On the Ethnogenesis of the Montenegrins". This work sparked a huge amount of controversy in the public, as since the 1970s there was a developing theory on the authochtonous school about the Montenegrins' ethnic origin, whereas the dominant one until then was that Montenegrins were of Serbian ethnic background, this work being one of the key founders of the theory. Almost immediately a discussion was opened by the Montenegrin elite & intelligence in Titograd's Marxist Center, where renowned Montenegrin academicians Dr Dimitrije Vujović, Dr Rastislav Petrović and Dr Nikola Vukčević
Nikola Vukcevic
Nikola Vukčević is a Montenegrin film director, born on August 19, 1974, in Podgorica, SR Montenegro, Yugoslavia. He is a stage and film director, independent producer since 1995, member of Film board of Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts , and professor at national Faculty of Dramatic Arts...
discussed through the fallacious elements of this work. Špiro Kulišić was invited to attend, but he chose not to, and remained silent regarding the countless critics until the end of his life. The Chairman of the Montenegrin Presidency Veljko Milatović
Veljko Milatovic
Veljko Milatović was a Montenegrin Communist partisan, politician, statesman serving once as the Speaker and the other time as President.He was born in 1921 in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Veljko Milatović (Serbo-Croat Cyrillic: Вељко Милатовић) (born 5 December 1921 in Nikšić,...
defended his work in the discussion valiantly, but remained only on word and without presentation of arguments.
His main thesis centered on the uniqueness of the Docleans, residents of the ancient Slavic Duklja
Duklja
Doclea or Duklja was a medieval state with hereditary lands roughly encompassing the territories of present-day southeastern Montenegro, from Kotor on the west to the river Bojana on the east and to the sources of Zeta and Morača rivers on the north....
that existed partially on the territory of the Republic of Montenegro, a people distinct from Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
or Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
, and how they are the common ancestors of the Montenegrins. He defined that the Docleans were a mixture-nation of the Slavic migrants and the autochthonous ancient romanized ancestral population of Duklja's territory (unlike the purely Slavic Serbs), as well as that never ever had the Serbs lived in Montenegro, just only in the early Medieval Ages one small number of Croats, next to the Docleans. It is his argument that there weren't greater migrations of Serbs into Montenegro from the time of the arrival of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and that all of the migrations were local inter-Montenegrin, that the Zetans have kept until the end of the Middle Ages their distinctive identity, as well as that the Serbian intelligence Serbianized the Montenegrins in historical record, which also thus led to the alleged illusion in Montenegrin scholarship that the Montenegrins belong to the same people with the Serbs.
Critic
Špiro Kulišić had never ever touched original sources during his studies, he only relied on secondary sources like primarily the Croatian historian Ljudmil Hauptmann and on selective driven out of context takings from Serbian experts on the issue Vuk Stefanović KaradžićVuk Stefanovic Karadžic
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić was a Serbian philolog and linguist, the major reformer of the Serbian language, and deserves, perhaps, for his collections of songs, fairy tales, and riddles to be called the father of the study of Serbian folklore. He was the author of the first Serbian dictionary...
, Jovan Cvijić
Jovan Cvijic
Jovan Cvijić was a Serbian geographer, president of the Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences, and rector of the University of Belgrade. A world-renowned scientist, Cvijić is considered the founder of geography in Serbia.-Early life and family:Jovan Cvijić was born on October 11 Jovan Cvijić...
and Jovan Erdeljanović. His claims were quite often compared to those of the Montenegrin Ustashas from the WWII era for a period of time, Savić Marković "Štedimlija"
Savic Markovic Štedimlija
Savić Marković Štedimlija was a Montenegrin-Croatian nationalist publicist and writer, best known for his revisionist theories on the origins of the Montenegrin people...
and Sekule Drljević. He fallaciously presented in his book as if Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
and other early Medieval sources as if they talk only about Docleans and sometimes Croats, when actually they quite continually talk about Serbs for Duklja.
Kulišić had turned out to be severely self-contradicting in his book, one of the examples being the impossible and historically incorrect claim that the Docleans were a mixture of romanized Vlachs
Vlachs
Vlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...
and migrant Slavs, when science remembers that there could not have been any greater mixture of the majority Slavs with the others up to the 18th century, and then the subsequent talk about Vlachs far after the Medieval Ages. He mixed writers quite often, falsely connoting historical findings to them, such as in the case of John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes, latinized as Ioannes Scylitzes was a Greek historian of the late 11th century. He was born in the beginning of 1040's and died after 1101.- Life :Very little is known about his life...
. Another fact was the claim of arrival of a Serbian national element into Montenegro across Serbia's dominating intelligence, quite fallaciously ignoring the countless of sources that signify the national Serb element all the way to the Medieval Age. One of the most outrageous things was blatant falsification of sources (such as those of Branislav Đurđev) which he called upon for the migrations period as evidence of solely inter-migrations within Montenegro, as pointed out by Prof. Dr Rastislav Petrović, when quite on the contrary evidence points out to up to 90% of Montenegro's population having roots outside Montenegro; or not pointing out that most of the migrants from Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
were of Slavic
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
ethnic origin themselves. Some parts of Kulišić's book reach outright absurdity, such as with the claim on the origin of the "family" word in Montenegro, or comparing several Montenegrin traditions to the Caucasian as a proof of the autochtonousness of the Montenegrins, quite blatantly ignoring the fact that they are completely identical to those of Central Serbia. Most of Kulišić's arguments have limited themselves to plain unproven declarations, or scientifically contradicting ones like the claim that there is a unique Montenegrin dialect within the AVNOJ borders of Montenegro, when AFAIK the population of Montenegro speaks two carefully separated dialects of Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
: East Herzegovinian, which is also spoken by a huge mass of the Serbs, and partially Zetan-South Sandžak (Sjenica).
Dr Novak Ražnatović:
Milija Stanišić:
Milija Komatina:
Prof. Dr Rastislav Petrović:
One of the greatest Montenegrin Communist academicians, Dr Dimo Vujović:
Numerous other Montenegrin experts have questioned Kulišić's thesis like Dr Đoko Pejović or later Batrić Jovanović
Batrić Jovanović
Batrić Jovanović is a politician and author from Montenegro. He represented Montenegro in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia parliament-Books:* Trinaestojulski ustanak 1984*Montenegrins about themself in 1986....
, while the great Montenegrin ethnologue and historian Nikola Vukčević even wrote an entire book in 1981 as a response known as "The Ethnic Origin of the Montenegrins" in far greater detail and sourceness that Kulišić's far smaller book.
Kulišić's book was, however, positively criticized by the three prime leaders of Montenegrin distinctiveness. The first is the somewhat controversial linguist Dr Vojislav Nikčević
Vojislav Nikcevic
Vojislav Nikčević was a Montenegrin linguist.He was born in Stubici, Nikšić, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and was educated at the University of Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia....
, who from the 1970s presented the idea of separateness of a Montenegrin language
Montenegrin language
Montenegrin is a name used for the Serbo-Croatian language as spoken by Montenegrins; it also refers to an incipient standardized form of the Shtokavian dialect of Serbo-Croatian used as the official language of Montenegro...
away from Serbo-Croat as is the father of the Montenegrin language idea, considers Kulišić's work a "very valuable and important scientific work". The other is Dr Radoslav Rotković, who is known for his a bit questionable studies of the Tribes in Montenegro
Serb clans
Serb clans is a general term referring to what are known as plemena and bratstva , traditional geo-political units of the Western Balkans that now richly attest social anthropology and family history . The descendants of the clans are divided by regional and lately, national affiliation...
, which he identified as if they have constituated themselves before their migration to the Balkans on the soil of modern-day Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and as such migrated to the Balkans and preserved their identity. The third is a renowned Montenegrin historian by the name of Dragoje Živković, a moderate proponent of the Montenegrin distinctiveness from the Serbs, who claimed that Kulišić's work is the first to brake the myths and illusions in Montenegrin history.
Over the years this book of Špiro Kulišić has become the conceiving cradle of the Autochtonist Doclean school, centered at the establishment of a distinct Montenegrin language, a Montenegrin Orthodox Church
Montenegrin Orthodox Church
The Montenegrin Orthodox Church is an Orthodox Christian organization acting in Montenegro and Montenegrin emigration circles - e.g. the village of Lovćenac and the Montenegrin emigration colony in Argentina...
and Montenegro's independence from its common state with Serbia, a view of history promoted throughout the 1990s by the Doclean Academy of Sciences and Arts
Doclean Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Doclean Academy of Sciences and Arts is a scholar's academy in Montenegro...
. Since Montenegro's independence from Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
and the other political changes of the 21st century, Kulišić's works and their continuations of members of his school have received a considerable growth and some popularity amongst the public.