Jovan Cvijic
Encyclopedia
Jovan Cvijić (11 October 1865 – 16 January 1927) was a Serbia
n 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.
, today Montenegro
. Jovan's grandfather was a chairman of Loznica municipality and a well-known supporter of House of Obrenović
. Zivko was a "katana", during the "katana rising" against the defenders of the Constitution during 1844, and he was punished by lashing after a successful action conducted by Toma Vučić-Perišić. Soon he passed away.
His father, Jovan's great-grandfather, Cvijo Spasojevic was pater familias of Cvijić family. Cvijo was a famous outlaw leader (hajduk
s) in that part of Old Herzegovina. He fought against the Ottoman Empire
during the First Serbian Uprising
, and after its failure in 1813, he moved to Loznica where he built a two-storey house between the trend and church and opened a store, starting a trading business for his newly founded family.
Jovan's father Todor (passed away 1900) was into trading, but as he failed, he founded as a clerk in the municipality. Jovan's mother Marija (born Avramovic) was from a respectable family from village Koremita in Jadar
region, located near the Tronosa and Trsic, the birth place of Vuk Karadzic. Todor and Marija had two sons Zivko and Jovan, and three daughters. Cvijić often said that in his childhood years his spiritual education was mostly influenced by his mother and her family in general, they were quiet, composed and homely, while he wrote with far less emotions about his father and father's family. But, in his works on ethnic psychology Cvijić had praised the dinaric ethnic type and characteristics, which his father belonged to.
(third and fourth year), finally he enrolled and graduated from The First Belgrade Grammar school, department of natural sciences and mathematics. In the year 1884, upon graduation he wanted to study medicine, but Loznica municipality however was unable to give him a scholarship to study abroad. His teacher in grammar school suggested to attend geography classes on "Velika skola" in Belgrade, nowadays University of Belgrade
. Cvijić took his advice and enrolled the natural sciences department. He graduated in 1889. During his time in school Cvijić was dedicated to reading books. In grammar school he studied English, German and French, which was very helpful during his university studies because they did no have a corresponding literature in Serbian
. He wrote science and other papers in these foreign languages.
During 1888/89 school year he worked as a geography teacher in The Second Male Grammar School in Belgrade. Than in 1889 he enrolled the physical geography and geology on Vienna University. Back than, geomorphology was taught by a famous scientist dr Albrecht Penck
, geotectonics was taught by professor Sis (the president of the Austrian Academy of that time), and climatology by Julius Han.
Cvijić got his PhD in 1893, in the Vienna University. His thesis was called "Das Karstphanomen", and it introduced him to public making him well known in the science world. His paper was later translated into sever languages (in Serbian as "Karst", 1895) and thanks to it Cvijić is regarded as the founder of karsology. British scientist Archibald Geeky wrote that this was a "pioneering" paper.
Besides this, Cvijić was interested in geology
(geomopohology) etc. His monograph on lime karst led to positive reactions in European scientific circles, but he got famous as the first geotecomuscientist, and introductory academic lecture made him known as the first tectonicst among South Slavs
.
The lime fields of Serbia
were the topic of other scientists before Cvijić, but not their main subjects. They were: Otto won Pirch - 1830, Amie Boue - 1840, Felix Philipee Kanitz, Milan Ð. Milicevic, Jovan Žujovic, Vladimir Karic... The records of their research were mainly descriptive with general conclusions.
Another significant step forward Cvijić made while he was observing the surrounding of Midzor
, Stara planina peak, and Rila
mountain (Bulgaria
) where he recognized the traces of glacial processes in the form of 102 mountain lakes.
By then it was considered that this region was not influenced by glacial processes, so Cvijić's discovery was a turning point in glacial process studies in the part of dispersement.
Thanks to this research Cvijić made a breakthrough in world science once again and with his anthropogeographical survey in "Balkan Peninsula 1918", 1922-I, 1931-II based on his research of Balkan psychological types.
Cvijić did research for 38 years, during which he led expeditions over the Balkans
, Southern Carpathian Mountains
and Asia Minor
. The expeditions resulted in numerous research papers.
The two-volume "Geomorphology" by Jovan Cvijić gives a geomorphological picture of the Balkan peninsula terrain and has not lost value and it still represents important staring point in that science.
The most important works (on geology) include:
For over 30 years he traveled throughout the Balkans, producing a number of works and founding the "human geography school".
Typical for his work is the analysis of the influence of climate and geography on human building patterns (morphology). Cvijić was among the first to emphasize that humans are ecologically sensitive creatures. When it comes to the formation of anthropology types he underlines social structure (occupation), endogamy and exogamy and migration as primary factors. Particularly strong is the influence of environment on a population's ethnopsychological characteristics.
Cvijić revealed the basic concepts for this in his work on the human geographical problems of the Balkan peninsula, and elaborated further in his work The Balkan peninsula and Southern-Slavic countries, first published in French, and, in 1922, expanded and printed in Serbian. The ethnopsychological classification that Cvijić described in these works was severely criticized ideologically in Yugoslavia after World War II.
, in March 1893, he got a job as a professor of Faculty of Philosophy in Velika Skola in Belgrade. He taught physical geography and ethnography in the beginning, but only geography later on.
Traveling as a student, and as a professor later all over the Balkans, he developed interest in folklore life and culture. Therefore he organized researches in ethnography, in the department of geography, as additional subjects.
After the transformation of Velika skola into the University of Belgrade, on the October 12, 1905 Jovan Cvijić became one of the first eight tenure professors in the university. Beside Cvijić, the others were: Jovan Žujović
, Sima Lozanić
, Mihailo Petrović Alas, Andra Stevanović, Dragoljub Pavlovic, Milic Radovanovic and Ljubomir Jovanović. These eight professors chose other colleagues for tenure positions.
Cvijić played an important and active part in the School reforms helping with the foundation of a special ethnography department where the first professor was his oldest student and assistant Jovan Erdeljanovic, and then Tihomir Djordjevic, while Cvijić stayed in the geography department. His influence was crucial in founding five new faculties: medicine, agriculture and theology in Belgrade, philosophy in Skopje and law school in Subotica.
He published five detailed instructions for terrain research of the population and habitats in order to help and direct his associates in their work. Cvijić published a large number of information on teaching and science in the article "On scientific research and our University", published in 1907.
In these trips he had been acquainted with the living conditions of the Balkan peninsula population, which led to his interest in ethnographic and laer psycho-social issues. Cvijić himself said how little he had known about the life in Bulgaria
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Macedonia
up to the period from 1896–1898, when he saw how difficult was life in these parts. Up to that moment, as he later said, he did not have much interest in folklore, ethnology and national politics. Since then, however, he became very active in solving these questions. Cvijić, as the organizer of numerous scientific trips visited the most dangerous and unexplored regions, developed inclination to empirical research. These researches he could support with his vast scientific knowledge.
In the year 1896. Cvijić published the "Instructions for studying villages in Serbian and other Serbian lands" which was later corrected and adjusted to specific conditions in other Balkan regions where they were later applied.
In Serbia, based on these instructions developed a widespread movement for folklore life research which enabled the creation of first methodological and systematically gathered data in ethnology. The research was conducted, not only by Cvijić's students and associates but by many intellectuals-amateurs mostly village teachers and priests. This united and vast scientific effort represents the unique and significant phenomenon in international scientific life.
Cvijić's thesis on the effects of climate and relief on the human morphology is the basis in his scientific approach in the anthropogeographic studies, where he practically stresses that a man is an eco-sensible being. When forming anthropological types is in question, Cvijić states primary factors are social structure, i.e. profession, endogamy, egzogamy and migrations. He especially stressed the effects of geographical environment on ethnopsychological characteristics of the population. Basic conception is given in the paper "Anthropogeographical problems" of Balkan peninsula from 1902. Later on, influenced by Cvijić's paper PhD Milorad Dragic former student of Cvijić, elaborated the topic of ethnopsychological research in paper "Instructions for studying the settlements and psychological properties" from 1911, after which Cvijić expanded his thesis in "Balkan peninsula and Southslavic lands. This paper was first printed in French, and later considerably expanded and printed in Serbian.
The sudden interest for anthropogeographical and ethnographic researches was one of the greatest moves in Cvijić's scientific career. Cvijić's efforts and scientific research abilities helped him with gathering important data which he used during the negotiations on forming state border of the new state after World War I.
state using his scientific researches as an argument in the negotiations. He used the researches in demography
and anthropogeography. The knowledge he gathered was used in setting the accurate ethnic expansion of South Slavs
.
Famous French geographer Paul Vidal de la Blache
invited professor Cvijić to Paris; where in 1917 and the beginning of 1919 on the University of Paris
. Cvijić gave lectures on Balkan land and nations. In the end of 1918. the Serbian government named him the first expert on ethnographic boarder and in 1919. he was elected president of territorial unit within a state delegation in peace conference in Paris where due to his efforts as an ethnographer (created ethnographic charts of Yugoslav countries 1918–1919) and efforts of Mihajlo Pupin, a well-known and acclaimed scientist and politically influential man, set the borders of a new country – Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians. It was agreed that the new country should get Banat
, Baranja, Dalmatia
and Bled triangle (Bled
, Bohinj
, Triglav
).
geographical society (1924) and English and French medals, as well. Two kinds of saffron
were named after Cvijić.
He was:
n politics and Serbian territorial claims.
He stated that Serbia can operate with a much larger entity that the territory it now holds.
. He was the president until his death. In the year 1912 he started a magazine "Serbian geographic society herald", which still exists. He gave seminars one a week for the students of similar sciences, which were attended by the teachers of Belgrade grammar schools, as well.
Jovan Cvijić founded the Faculty of Philosophy's Geographical institute in 1923, the first establishment of that type in Balkans
, and was its manager from the foundation to 1927.
In Belgrade 1947. Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
founded geographical institute which was named "Jovan Cvjic". The institute was founded with a primary reason to improve geographic science.
On November 21/22 2002, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
organised a scientific meeting "The Social-political work of Jovan Cvijić".
There is a Jovan Cvijić Memorial museum at his family's house in Belgrade (5, Jelena Ćetković Street).
The house was built in 1905. and since 1963. has been protected by the state as a monument of culture. It has unique internal decoration, made by founder of national decoration art – Dragutin Inkiostri Medenjak. Cvijić, according to his own nature, shared the enthusiasm of the educated people of that time for the creating a national style based on Balkan folklore elements.
Today in the house you can find a legacy of Jovan Cijic which contains 1476 subjects, containing manuscripts, letter, notes, olans, books, paintings, geographical charts, atlases, personal items, etc. Museum occasionally gives lectures on the subject.
In Serbia, a number of schools and streets are named after Jovan Cvijić. He is still considered the most significant Serbian geographer. His work has been continued by his students, six of whom later became members of the Serbian Academy, including Pavle Vujević
, Borivoje Z. Milojević and Milisav Lutovac.
His life and work were particularly well-researched by geographer Milorad Vasović, who in 1994 wrote a 454-page book "Jovan Cvijić - scientist, public worker, statesman".
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n geographer
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
, president of the Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...
, and rector of the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
. A world-renowned scientist, Cvijić is considered the founder of geography in Serbia.
Early life and family
Jovan (John) Cvijić was born on October 11 (September 19. according to Julian calendar) 1865. year in Loznica to Cvijić family of Spasojevic branch of Pivljani. His father's name was Todor Cvijić and originated from Old HerzegovinaOld Herzegovina
Old Herzegovina is a historical region in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina . The largest city in this region in Nikšić, and the second-largest is Herceg Novi. Until the Congress of Berlin in 1878 the Old Hercegovina was part of Bosnian Pashalik, but since then merged into Montenegro....
, today Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. Jovan's grandfather was a chairman of Loznica municipality and a well-known supporter of House of Obrenović
House of Obrenovic
The House of Obrenović was a Serbian dynasty that ruled Serbia from 1815 to 1842, and again from 1858 to 1903. They came to power through the leadership of their progenitor Miloš Obrenović in the Second Serbian uprising against the Ottoman Empire, which led to the formation of the Principality of...
. Zivko was a "katana", during the "katana rising" against the defenders of the Constitution during 1844, and he was punished by lashing after a successful action conducted by Toma Vučić-Perišić. Soon he passed away.
His father, Jovan's great-grandfather, Cvijo Spasojevic was pater familias of Cvijić family. Cvijo was a famous outlaw leader (hajduk
Hajduk
Hajduk is a term most commonly referring to outlaws, highwaymen or freedom fighters in the Balkans, Central- and Eastern Europe....
s) in that part of Old Herzegovina. He fought against 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...
during the First Serbian Uprising
First Serbian Uprising
The First Serbian Uprising was the first stage of the Serbian Revolution , the successful wars of independence that lasted for 9 years and approximately 9 months , during which Serbia perceived itself as an independent state for the first time after more than three centuries of Ottoman rule and...
, and after its failure in 1813, he moved to Loznica where he built a two-storey house between the trend and church and opened a store, starting a trading business for his newly founded family.
Jovan's father Todor (passed away 1900) was into trading, but as he failed, he founded as a clerk in the municipality. Jovan's mother Marija (born Avramovic) was from a respectable family from village Koremita in Jadar
Jadar
Jadar may refer to:* Jadar , a river in western Serbia, tributary to the Drina* Jadar , a river in eastern Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, tributary to the Drinjača...
region, located near the Tronosa and Trsic, the birth place of Vuk Karadzic. Todor and Marija had two sons Zivko and Jovan, and three daughters. Cvijić often said that in his childhood years his spiritual education was mostly influenced by his mother and her family in general, they were quiet, composed and homely, while he wrote with far less emotions about his father and father's family. But, in his works on ethnic psychology Cvijić had praised the dinaric ethnic type and characteristics, which his father belonged to.
Education
After graduating from elementary school in Loznica he went to lower grammar school in Loznica (first two years) and than in grammar school in ŠabacŠabac
Šabac is a city and municipality in western Serbia, along the Sava river, in the historic region of Mačva. It is the administrative center of the Mačva District. The city has a population of 52,822 , while population of the municipality is 115,347...
(third and fourth year), finally he enrolled and graduated from The First Belgrade Grammar school, department of natural sciences and mathematics. In the year 1884, upon graduation he wanted to study medicine, but Loznica municipality however was unable to give him a scholarship to study abroad. His teacher in grammar school suggested to attend geography classes on "Velika skola" in Belgrade, nowadays University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
. Cvijić took his advice and enrolled the natural sciences department. He graduated in 1889. During his time in school Cvijić was dedicated to reading books. In grammar school he studied English, German and French, which was very helpful during his university studies because they did no have a corresponding literature in Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
. He wrote science and other papers in these foreign languages.
During 1888/89 school year he worked as a geography teacher in The Second Male Grammar School in Belgrade. Than in 1889 he enrolled the physical geography and geology on Vienna University. Back than, geomorphology was taught by a famous scientist dr Albrecht Penck
Albrecht Penck
Albrecht Penck , was a German geographer and geologist and the father of Walther Penck.Born in Reudnitz near Leipzig, Penck became a university professor in Vienna from 1885 to 1906, and in Berlin from 1906 to 1927. There he was also the director of the Institute and Museum for Oceanography by 1918...
, geotectonics was taught by professor Sis (the president of the Austrian Academy of that time), and climatology by Julius Han.
Cvijić got his PhD in 1893, in the Vienna University. His thesis was called "Das Karstphanomen", and it introduced him to public making him well known in the science world. His paper was later translated into sever languages (in Serbian as "Karst", 1895) and thanks to it Cvijić is regarded as the founder of karsology. British scientist Archibald Geeky wrote that this was a "pioneering" paper.
Research
Jovan Cvijić did his first and most important field research in the region of eastern Serbia. Observing the structure of Kucaj mountain and Prekonoska cave, he got the idea for his PhD thesis, which he presented in Vienna in 1892, and honorarily promoted on January 22, 1893.Besides this, Cvijić was interested in geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
(geomopohology) etc. His monograph on lime karst led to positive reactions in European scientific circles, but he got famous as the first geotecomuscientist, and introductory academic lecture made him known as the first tectonicst among South Slavs
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...
.
The lime fields of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
were the topic of other scientists before Cvijić, but not their main subjects. They were: Otto won Pirch - 1830, Amie Boue - 1840, Felix Philipee Kanitz, Milan Ð. Milicevic, Jovan Žujovic, Vladimir Karic... The records of their research were mainly descriptive with general conclusions.
Another significant step forward Cvijić made while he was observing the surrounding of Midzor
Midzor
Midžor is a peak in the Balkan Mountains, situated on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. At , it is the highest peak of the Western Balkan Mountains, as well as of Central SerbiaThe highest peak of Serbia is officially Đeravica in the Prokletije mountain range at , but is located in Kosovo....
, Stara planina peak, and Rila
Rila
Rila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...
mountain (Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
) where he recognized the traces of glacial processes in the form of 102 mountain lakes.
By then it was considered that this region was not influenced by glacial processes, so Cvijić's discovery was a turning point in glacial process studies in the part of dispersement.
Thanks to this research Cvijić made a breakthrough in world science once again and with his anthropogeographical survey in "Balkan Peninsula 1918", 1922-I, 1931-II based on his research of Balkan psychological types.
Cvijić did research for 38 years, during which he led expeditions over the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, Southern Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
and Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. The expeditions resulted in numerous research papers.
The two-volume "Geomorphology" by Jovan Cvijić gives a geomorphological picture of the Balkan peninsula terrain and has not lost value and it still represents important staring point in that science.
Works
In more than 30 years of intense scientific study, Cvijić published many significant works. One of the most important is The Balkan Peninsula.The most important works (on geology) include:
- "Geografska ispitivanja u oblasti Kučaja u Istočnoj Srbiji" (Geographical Studies in the *Area of Kučaj in Eastern Serbia). Geološki anali Balkanskog poluostrva 5: 7-172, 1893
- "Geografska ispitivanja u oblasti Kučaja u Istočnoj Srbiji" (Geographical Studies in the Area of Kučaj in Eastern Serbia). Geološki anali Balkanskog poluostrva 5: 7-172, 1893
- Das Karstphänomen, 1893, Vienna
- Karst, 1895
- Structure and Classification of the Mountains of the Balkan Peninsula, 1902
- Die Tektonik der Balkanhalbinsel mit besonderer Berückichtigung der neueren Fortschritte in der Kenntnis der Geologie von Bulgarien, Serbien und Mazedonien, 1904, Vienna
- Foundations of the Geography and Geology of MacedoniaVardar MacedoniaVardar Macedonia is an area in the north of the Macedonia . The borders of the area are those of the Republic of Macedonia. It covers an area of...
and Old SerbiaOld SerbiaOld Serbia is a modern name for the territory which was the core of medieval Serbia. It included Raška , Kosovo and Metohija and the Macedonia...
I-III, 1906–1911 - Grundlinien der Geographie und Geologie von Mazedonien und Alt-Serbien. Nebst Beobachtungen in Thrazien, Thessalien, Epirus und Nordalbanien, 1908, GothaGotha (town)Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
- Lake Plastics of ŠumadijaŠumadijaŠumadija is a geographical region in Serbia. The area is heavily covered with forests, hence the name...
, 1909 - Geomorphology I-II, 1924, 1926
- Балканско полуострво и Јужнословенске земље (1. део)
- Балканско полуострво и Јужнословенске земље (2. део)
- О исељавању босанских мухамеданаца
- Анексија Босне и Херцеговине и српско питање
- Праве и лажне патриоте
For over 30 years he traveled throughout the Balkans, producing a number of works and founding the "human geography school".
Typical for his work is the analysis of the influence of climate and geography on human building patterns (morphology). Cvijić was among the first to emphasize that humans are ecologically sensitive creatures. When it comes to the formation of anthropology types he underlines social structure (occupation), endogamy and exogamy and migration as primary factors. Particularly strong is the influence of environment on a population's ethnopsychological characteristics.
Cvijić revealed the basic concepts for this in his work on the human geographical problems of the Balkan peninsula, and elaborated further in his work The Balkan peninsula and Southern-Slavic countries, first published in French, and, in 1922, expanded and printed in Serbian. The ethnopsychological classification that Cvijić described in these works was severely criticized ideologically in Yugoslavia after World War II.
Teaching profession
After his return from ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, in March 1893, he got a job as a professor of Faculty of Philosophy in Velika Skola in Belgrade. He taught physical geography and ethnography in the beginning, but only geography later on.
Traveling as a student, and as a professor later all over the Balkans, he developed interest in folklore life and culture. Therefore he organized researches in ethnography, in the department of geography, as additional subjects.
After the transformation of Velika skola into the University of Belgrade, on the October 12, 1905 Jovan Cvijić became one of the first eight tenure professors in the university. Beside Cvijić, the others were: Jovan Žujović
Jovan Žujovic
Jovan Žujović was an anthropologist, known as a founder of geology in Serbia....
, Sima Lozanić
Sima Lozanic
Sima Lozanić was a Serbian chemist, president of the Serbian Royal Academy, the first rector of the University of Belgrade, minister of foreign affairs, minister of industry and diplomat.-Biography:...
, Mihailo Petrović Alas, Andra Stevanović, Dragoljub Pavlovic, Milic Radovanovic and Ljubomir Jovanović. These eight professors chose other colleagues for tenure positions.
Cvijić played an important and active part in the School reforms helping with the foundation of a special ethnography department where the first professor was his oldest student and assistant Jovan Erdeljanovic, and then Tihomir Djordjevic, while Cvijić stayed in the geography department. His influence was crucial in founding five new faculties: medicine, agriculture and theology in Belgrade, philosophy in Skopje and law school in Subotica.
Cvijić's review of the schooling system
Cvijić thought that the grammar school education of that time should last seven, not eight years. He felt that young men should be included early into life and independent work.He published five detailed instructions for terrain research of the population and habitats in order to help and direct his associates in their work. Cvijić published a large number of information on teaching and science in the article "On scientific research and our University", published in 1907.
Anthropogeographic school
In his anthropogeographical researches, Cvijić studied migrations, village and town habitats, house types, material culture of population in regions under the influence of different civilizations, psychological types and varieties, folklore dress and the households. He conducted researches over thirty years, especially of the Balkan peninsula, which resulted in numerous paper and establishment of "Anthropogeographic school". He traveled during difficult social and political times, exposing himself to many unpleasant and dangerous, even life threatening situation, especially in the countries which were under the Ottoman and Austrian rule up to the first world war.In these trips he had been acquainted with the living conditions of the Balkan peninsula population, which led to his interest in ethnographic and laer psycho-social issues. Cvijić himself said how little he had known about the life in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, 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 Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
up to the period from 1896–1898, when he saw how difficult was life in these parts. Up to that moment, as he later said, he did not have much interest in folklore, ethnology and national politics. Since then, however, he became very active in solving these questions. Cvijić, as the organizer of numerous scientific trips visited the most dangerous and unexplored regions, developed inclination to empirical research. These researches he could support with his vast scientific knowledge.
In the year 1896. Cvijić published the "Instructions for studying villages in Serbian and other Serbian lands" which was later corrected and adjusted to specific conditions in other Balkan regions where they were later applied.
In Serbia, based on these instructions developed a widespread movement for folklore life research which enabled the creation of first methodological and systematically gathered data in ethnology. The research was conducted, not only by Cvijić's students and associates but by many intellectuals-amateurs mostly village teachers and priests. This united and vast scientific effort represents the unique and significant phenomenon in international scientific life.
Cvijić's thesis on the effects of climate and relief on the human morphology is the basis in his scientific approach in the anthropogeographic studies, where he practically stresses that a man is an eco-sensible being. When forming anthropological types is in question, Cvijić states primary factors are social structure, i.e. profession, endogamy, egzogamy and migrations. He especially stressed the effects of geographical environment on ethnopsychological characteristics of the population. Basic conception is given in the paper "Anthropogeographical problems" of Balkan peninsula from 1902. Later on, influenced by Cvijić's paper PhD Milorad Dragic former student of Cvijić, elaborated the topic of ethnopsychological research in paper "Instructions for studying the settlements and psychological properties" from 1911, after which Cvijić expanded his thesis in "Balkan peninsula and Southslavic lands. This paper was first printed in French, and later considerably expanded and printed in Serbian.
The sudden interest for anthropogeographical and ethnographic researches was one of the greatest moves in Cvijić's scientific career. Cvijić's efforts and scientific research abilities helped him with gathering important data which he used during the negotiations on forming state border of the new state after World War I.
Contribution to determining of state borders of SCS Kingdom
After the First World War Cvijić contributed to the determining the state borders of new YugoslavYugoslav
Yugoslav refers to:* Yugoslavia** Kingdom of Yugoslavia** Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia** Federal Republic of Yugoslavia* Yugoslavs...
state using his scientific researches as an argument in the negotiations. He used the researches in demography
Demography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
and anthropogeography. The knowledge he gathered was used in setting the accurate ethnic expansion of South Slavs
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...
.
Famous French geographer Paul Vidal de la Blache
Paul Vidal de la Blache
Paul Vidal de la Blache was a French geographer. He is considered to be the founder of the modern French geography and also the founder of the French School of Geopolitics...
invited professor Cvijić to Paris; where in 1917 and the beginning of 1919 on the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. Cvijić gave lectures on Balkan land and nations. In the end of 1918. the Serbian government named him the first expert on ethnographic boarder and in 1919. he was elected president of territorial unit within a state delegation in peace conference in Paris where due to his efforts as an ethnographer (created ethnographic charts of Yugoslav countries 1918–1919) and efforts of Mihajlo Pupin, a well-known and acclaimed scientist and politically influential man, set the borders of a new country – Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians. It was agreed that the new country should get Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
, Baranja, Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
and Bled triangle (Bled
Bled
Bled is a municipality in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The area, within the Julian Alps, is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, Bohinj
Bohinj
Bohinj is a municipality in the Upper Carniola region of northwestern Slovenia, covering the 20 km long and 5 km wide Bohinj basin of the Sava Bohinjka river within the Julian Alps, characterized by the periglacial Lake Bohinj...
, Triglav
Triglav
Triglav is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. While its name, meaning "three-headed", can describe its shape as seen from the Bohinj area, the mountain was most probably named after the Slavic god Triglav. The mountain is the preeminent symbol of the Slovene...
).
Academic
Cvijić became a world-renowned scientist, and he received numerous awards. He was a member of thirty scientific societies (academies, geographical and natural societies etc.) and he received ten decorations. He also received a gold medal for his work, from New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
geographical society (1924) and English and French medals, as well. Two kinds of saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
were named after Cvijić.
He was:
- the honorary doctor, University of ParisUniversity of ParisThe University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
- the honorary doctor, Charles University in PragueCharles University in PragueCharles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
- member of Serbian royal academy
- president of Serbian royal academy from April, 12 1921 until 1927 (the time of his death)
- rector of University of BelgradeUniversity of BelgradeThe University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
, twice - member of Czech Academy
- member of Academy in BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
- member of All union geographical society of the USSR
- correspondent member of Yugoslav Academy, ZagrebZagrebZagreb 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...
- correspondent member of Italian academy
- correspondent member of Parmasus Science association, AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
- correspondent member of Russian geographical society, Saint PetersburgSaint PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
- correspondent member of various geographical societies: BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, BucharestBucharestBucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Berlin, AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, London etc. - honorary president of congress of geographers and ethnologists, PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
(1922)
Controversy
Jovan Cvijić has sometimes lost his scientific impartiality because of Serbia's political advancement. Cvijić's work, since he was a reputable geographer, was used as a scientific justification for Greater SerbiaGreater Serbia
The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia applies to the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology directed towards the creation of a Serbian land which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to the Serbian nation...
n politics and Serbian territorial claims.
He stated that Serbia can operate with a much larger entity that the territory it now holds.
Legacy
Together with a group of geographers and biologists he founded the Serbian geographic society in 1910, in BelgradeBelgrade
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 was the president until his death. In the year 1912 he started a magazine "Serbian geographic society herald", which still exists. He gave seminars one a week for the students of similar sciences, which were attended by the teachers of Belgrade grammar schools, as well.
Jovan Cvijić founded the Faculty of Philosophy's Geographical institute in 1923, the first establishment of that type in Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, and was its manager from the foundation to 1927.
In Belgrade 1947. Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...
founded geographical institute which was named "Jovan Cvjic". The institute was founded with a primary reason to improve geographic science.
On November 21/22 2002, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...
organised a scientific meeting "The Social-political work of Jovan Cvijić".
There is a Jovan Cvijić Memorial museum at his family's house in Belgrade (5, Jelena Ćetković Street).
The house was built in 1905. and since 1963. has been protected by the state as a monument of culture. It has unique internal decoration, made by founder of national decoration art – Dragutin Inkiostri Medenjak. Cvijić, according to his own nature, shared the enthusiasm of the educated people of that time for the creating a national style based on Balkan folklore elements.
Today in the house you can find a legacy of Jovan Cijic which contains 1476 subjects, containing manuscripts, letter, notes, olans, books, paintings, geographical charts, atlases, personal items, etc. Museum occasionally gives lectures on the subject.
In Serbia, a number of schools and streets are named after Jovan Cvijić. He is still considered the most significant Serbian geographer. His work has been continued by his students, six of whom later became members of the Serbian Academy, including Pavle Vujević
Pavle Vujević
Pavle Vujevic was a Serbian geographer and meteorologist, professor of climatology, meteorology, and mathematical geography at the University of Belgrade. He was a founder of the science of microclimatology, and one of the first in the science of potamology .He is famous for his book Basis of...
, Borivoje Z. Milojević and Milisav Lutovac.
His life and work were particularly well-researched by geographer Milorad Vasović, who in 1994 wrote a 454-page book "Jovan Cvijić - scientist, public worker, statesman".
Major works
- Geografska ispitivanja u oblasti Kučaja u ist. Srbiji, 1893.;
- Das Karstphänomen, 1893.;
- Karst, 1895.;
- Struktura i pojela planina Balkanskog poluostrva, 1902.;
- Antropografski problemi Balkanskog poluostrva, Naselja srpskih zemalja, I 1902.;
- Die Tektonik der Balkanhalbinsel mit besonderer Berückichtigung der neueren Fortschritte in der Kenntnis der Geologie von *Bulgarien, Serbien und Mazedonien, 1904.;
- Osnove za geografiju i geologiju Makedonije i Stare Srbije I-III, 1906.—1911.;
- Grundlinien der Geographie und Geologie von Mazedonien und Alt-Serbien. Nebst Beobachtungen in Thrazien, Thessalien, Epirus und *Nordalbanien, 1908.;
- Aneksija Bosne i Hercegovine i srpsko pitanje, 1908.;
- Jezerska plastika Šumadije, 1909.;
- Dinarski Srbi, 1912.;
- Izlazak Srbije na Jadransko More, 1912.;
- Raspored Balkanskih naroda, 1913.;
- Jedinstvo i psihički tipovi dinarskih južnih Slavena, 1914.;
- Severna granica južnih Slavena (La frontiere septentrionale des Jugoslaves), 1919.;
- Balkansko poluostrvo i južnoslavenske zemlje, osnovi antropogeografije, I, 1922.;
- Geomorfologija I-II, 1924., 1926.
- Balkansko poluostrvo i južnoslavenske zemlje, osnovi antropogeografije, II, 1931.;