|
alazaro
Envíos 10057 |
 Enviado - 02 septiembre 2008 : 21:52:46
|
BIBLIOGRAFIA * BIBLIOGRAPHIE * BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dalle due sponde dell'Adriatico
scrive Marjola Rukaj
OSSERVATORIO SUI BALCANI
11.08.2008
L'identità complessa del Montenegro e il suo rapporto con la Serbia, sono solo alcune delle tematiche contenute in "Storia del Montenegro", volume scritto da Antun Sbutega ambasciatore montenegrino presso la Santa Sede. Nostra intervista
Antun Sbutega è attualmente ambasciatore montenegrino presso la Santa Sede. Nei primi anni '90 si è trasferito in Italia come esule politico per fuggire al regime di Miloševic', alla vigilia degli attacchi su Dubrovnik. Studioso di storia dell'Europa Orientale, collabora con la facoltà di Scienze Politiche dell'Università La Sapienza.
Come nasce l'idea di scrivere una storia del Montenegro?
I motivi sono stati diversi. Negli anni '90 sono fuggito dal Montenegro, sono arrivato in Italia, e qui ho cercato di tagliare tutti i ponti col passato. Poi, per fortuna, il Montenegro è cambiato in meglio, e ho recuperato l'attaccamento a una realtà che conoscevo e che mi appartiene. Adesso il legame è diventato ancora più forte perché ho un incarico diplomatico. Oltre alle motivazioni personali, naturalmente, mi ha spinto anche l'aver trovato un soggetto su cui nessuno in occidente ha scritto nulla da oltre cent'anni. E' difficile trovare una storia del Montenegro. Si può dire che non avevo molta concorrenza, e che questo è stato un lavoro pionieristico. Volevo fare conoscere questa realtà che, seppur piccola, è molto complessa. Nel suo piccolo il Montenegro ha una storia drammatica e dinamica, che però è connessa al resto dei Balcani e al Mediterraneo. Ho voluto scrivere questo libro capire meglio la storia dei Balcani, ma anche una ricerca personale, nata dall'esigenza di dare ordine alle mie conoscenze.
La sua storia del Montenegro assomiglia poco all'impostazione storiografica che di solito caratterizza le interpretazioni della storia dei paesi balcanici. Di che tipo è stato il suo approccio?
La maggior parte dei libri che sono stati scritti sui Balcani sono stati scritti da autori occidentali, o al massimo di origini balcaniche, ma sempre con una visione occidentale sulla regione. Io sono un balcanico, che però vive a Roma, con la prospettiva di questa parte del mondo, e allo stesso tempo sono un insider balcanico. Quindi guardo il paese con gli occhi di entrambe le sponde dell'Adriatico, per così dire. Scrivendo sul Montenegro ho voluto poi inserire la storia di questo piccolo paese in un ambito più ampio balcanico, adriatico, europeo, e mondiale. Ho cercato di rendere tutto questo in modo comprensibile anche ad un lettore occidentale.
Leggendo questa storia del Montenegro si scorge un continuo flusso di correnti e orientamenti diversi e divergenti. Questa è una novità per le storie balcaniche, in cui si tende di solito a interpretare la storia minimizzando o valorizzando determinati periodi e fenomeni, per poi arrivare spesso a letture nazionaliste... E' possibile oggi scrivere una storia del genere in un paese balcanico?
Il mio approccio è tale anche a causa della mia identità culturale. Io sono sempre stato parte di una minoranza, da quando sono nato. Ho sempre cercato di costruire la mia identità senza cercare di aggrapparmi a un gruppo religioso, politico o altro. Appartengo alla minoranza croata che in Montenegro rappresenta solo il 4% della popolazione. La mia famiglia, poi era una minoranza ai tempi del comunismo, perché eravamo cattolici praticanti, ed avevo persino un fratello prete. Poi, quando sono venuto in Italia, sentivo di appartenere a questa cultura, ma ero un profugo, senza diritti. Quindi non potevo diventare nazionalista né montenegrino, né serbo, né croato. Il Montenegro, poi, come tutti gli altri paesi balcanici, ma forse anche di più, è una realtà complessa. E' uno spazio dove si sono incrociate diverse culture e diverse religioni, diversi imperi e realtà politiche ed oggi è ancora così. I montenegrini sono il 40% della popolazione, i serbi 30%, gli albanesi 7%, poi ci sono i musulmani slavi, i croati ecc. Il Montenegro attuale non è stato costituito come uno stato nazionale, in cui prevale una comunità, ma è stato costituito grazie al contributo di tutte queste nazionalità. Nell' '800, quando prendono piede i nazionalismi, il Montenegro è stato un'eccezione, non solo nei Balcani ma anche in Europa, perché aveva uno stato ma non ha creato un nazionalismo montenegrino. Tutto questo mi ha spinto a non soffermarmi su una sola identità, perché il Montenegro ancora oggi non ha una sola identità, ma un'identità plurima.
Come si potrebbe definire questa l'identità montenegrina?
Prima della scomparsa dello stato montenegrino, quando i confini erano diversi, gran parte della costa apparteneva allora all'Austria, a Venezia, ma dal punto di vista nazionale, i principi, poi i vescovi e infine il re coltivavano un'identità serba, perché aspiravano a diventare il Piemonte dei Balcani ed ad unire tutta la popolazione ortodossa che era sotto il dominio turco. Quando poi c'è stata l'unione con la Serbia, i montenegrini hanno incominciato a riscoprire un'identità separata. Ma da questo punto di vista sono perdurate le divisioni tra coloro che optavano per un'identità serba e altri che dicevano: “i serbi ci maltrattano, noi siamo diversi”. E' più o meno è così anche oggi, come hanno dimostrato i risultati del referendum sull'indipendenza.
L'Unione Europea ha giocato un ruolo in questa relativizzazione e nei risultati del referendum?
La maggioranza della popolazione è favorevole all'adesione nell'UE. Il Montenegro è un paese piccolo, e tutti sanno che solo nell'ambito dell'Europa si possono ottenere sicurezza e vantaggi che altrimenti sarebbero irraggiungibili. D'altra parte, l'adesione alla NATO ha meno sostegno tra la popolazione. Una parte della comunità serba è nostalgica della convivenza con la Serbia, ma non rifiuta in toto il nuovo stato, con l'eccezione di qualche politico, come si è visto nelle ultime elezioni presidenziali. Molti vogliono questo stato, perché gli sviluppi degli ultimi anni hanno dimostrato che il Montenegro sta procedendo molto velocemente verso l'integrazione europea, mentre la Serbia rimane in una situazione difficile. I nazionalismi ottocenteschi sono stati, almeno in parte, superati.La crisi jugoslava era in qualche modo frutto di quei vampiri e fantasmi dell'800. Ma penso la lezione sia stata imparata e che adesso ci si muova verso l'Europa, che non è uno stato, ma una civiltà di cui facciamo parte.
Quindi è possibile costruire uno stato post-nazionale?
Assolutamente. Il “miracolo montenegrino” per così dire, ne è stato una prova. Nonostante la storia bellicosa e complessa, il Montenegro questa volta è stata l'unica realtà che è riuscita a evitare lo scontro all'interno del paese, anche se le varie fazioni erano armate fino ai denti. E ciò è stato possibile proprio attraverso la visione di una nazione post-moderna, post-nazionalista. Non c'è bisogno di appartenere a un determinato gruppo per sentirsi parte dello stato, basta essere dei buoni cittadini, rispettare le leggi, come in ogni altro paese civile. E' stata una sorpresa per tutti il fatto che il Montenegro sia riuscito a divenire indipendente senza traumi intestini o guerre con la Serbia. E' stato naturalmente anche un successo della politica europea. L'indipendenza montenegrina ha dimostrato che i Balcani non sono più una polveriera. Il Montenegro non è esploso e come penso che non esploderà nemmeno il Kosovo, anche se lì non c'è una tradizione di stato, a parte la storia medievale che è poi divenuta leggenda, e quindi rimane tutto da costruire. Penso che tra una decina di anni i Balcani saranno definitivamente pacificati, anche se non proprio entro il 2014, come qualcuno sperava.
Eppure il destino del Montenegro si trova spesso ad intrecciarsi con quello della Serbia. Come si potrebbe definire questo fenomeno storico?
Il rapporto del Montenegro con la Serbia è particolare, sono fratelli ma anche nemici. E' stata soprattutto la geografia a determinarlo. Il Montenegro ha uno sbocco al mare, la Serbia invece è un paese continentale. Ogni volta che la Serbia è divenuta un attore politico importante ha cercato uno sbocco al mare, soprattutto in epoche passate, quando tale sbocco era molto più importante che adesso. La cosa più facile era penetrare in Montenegro, che aveva un'identità etnica simile e condivideva con la Serbia la lingua e la fede. Nel corso dell' '800 è stato il Montenegro a pensare di poter inglobare la Serbia, ma poi naturalmente, è stata la Serbia, molto più grande, che ha finito per inglobare il Montenegro. Tra i due stati e le due comunità c'è un rapporto di “ parenti serpenti”, ci sono molti elementi che collegano ma anche molti interessi e questioni politiche che separano. Comunque, i serbi che vivono in Montenegro non devono essere visti come una gruppo pericoloso per lo stato in cui vivono. I rapporti miglioreranno sicuramente man mano che anche la Serbia farà passi in avanti. Bisogna razionalizzare la storia, non seguire l'esempio della mitizzazione della battaglia del Kosovo. E' ovvio che se si guida la macchina guardando sempre nello specchietto retrovisore prima o poi si finirà per schiantarsi, e ci si può fare molto male.
Antun Sbutega
Storia del Montenegro. Dalle origini ai giorni nostri
Editore Rubattino, 2007. pp.542.
(http://www.osservatoriobalcani.org/article/articleview/9956/1/51/) |
|
|
alazaro
Envíos 10057 |
Enviado - 23 enero 2009 : 19:58:47
|
BIBLIOGRAPHY * BIBLIOGRAFIA * BIBLIOGRAPHIE
Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro
Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro
By Elizabeth Roberts
Cornell University Press (2007), 521 pp.
Reviewed by Christopher Deliso
Balkanalysis.com
4/1/2009
Although released just in 2007, Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro comes from a much older school of scholarship. With this much needed work, former diplomat Elizabeth Roberts has produced the newest and best introduction to the full history of a storied and sometimes inscrutable land the identity of which was formed equally by its forbidding mountains and balmy Adriatic coast- still the features most representative of Montenegro today and most enticing to its increasing number of foreign visitors.
While in essence a political history in the most conventional sense, Roberts’ study takes account of not only English-language secondary sources but also numerous secondary sources from Serb and Montenegrin historians, plus a few first-hand 19th and early 20th-century annals (the British Foreign Office, Carnegie Commission findings and so on).
Frequently throughout the proceedings, quotes are woven in from some of the many eminent personalities and writers to have crossed Montenegro and chronicled it in past decades, livening up the narrative and adding an occasional touch of humor. The selection of historic color photographs, illustrating everything from famous Montenegrins, medieval manuscripts, engravings and social conditions provides a welcome addition.
Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro follows a fairly straightforward course, narrating the history of the country from pre-Slavic times through to the medieval princes of Duklja and Zeta, the Turkish occupation and resistance to it, and finally Montenegro’s fate during the Balkan Wars, the two Yugoslavias and its recent experience as an independent republic. The whole trajectory of this historical experience is explained in a condensed form in the long introduction (‘Montenegrin Identity in Time and Space’), which is helpful in providing context for readers, who could run the risk of becoming lost in a book of over 500 pages.
As could be expected, the temporal coverage of the book is weighted towards the more contemporary history of Montenegro, with roughly half of the text dealing with prehistory through the 19th century, and the latter half concerned with the period from 1880 to the present. Given the turbulent events of the 20th century and Montenegro’s continuing ability to make history via its independence referendum in 2006, there is indeed plenty to cover, though it is also clear that the range of sources upon which the author draws is at its richest and most diverse regarding Montenegro’s modern history. So to some extent, the exposition is a reflection of the degree of attention given in the previous historiography.
Another important factor, however, is the simple truth that for the vast majority of its history, Montenegro was a humble place indeed. Rocky, desolate and poor, it underwent frequent declines in population matching the general wax and wane of national fortunes. Even in the early 20th century, foreign diplomats expressed their derision at the backwater nature of the place and trappings of greatness at odds with the stated stature of the head of state (the famous ‘King’ Nikola). Indeed, it is somewhat astonishing that a country numbering no more than 20,000 souls at various points could maintain its social and cultural cohesion over the centuries and become a modern state (with a population of over 600,000 at present).
Of course, it would not be possible to present Montenegrin history in isolation. The general narrative thus unfolds in the context of Montenegro’s relations with Byzantium in the east and Venice in the west, with the neighboring Serbs and Albanians, and with more distant powers such as Austro-Hungary and Russia.
All in all, Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro is the single best introduction to Montenegro’s rich history available in English today. Although it can be slow going in parts and would benefit from further editing, this book does an admirable job in giving order to a chronically unruly, complex subject of research.
(http://www.balkanalysis.com/2009/01/04/realm-of-the-black-mountain-a-history-of-montenegro/) |
 |
|
|
alazaro
Envíos 10057 |
Enviado - 14 septiembre 2009 : 18:15:50
|
MONTENEGRO HISTORY
Visit-Montenegro.com
Just as the nature, the history of Montenegro is very colourful. The turbulent life of Montenegro was spiced up by many people, but its permanent strive for freedom remained dominant throughout its history. Every part of Montenegro will tell the curious traveller many interesting stories from the various periods in time - from the grand Roman Empire to the modern times. Although its territory is rather small, this proud country has a lot to say when it comes to its history.
The name "Crna Gora" (Montenegro) is mentioned for the first time in the Charter of King Milutin, in 1276. It is believed that it got its name after the dense forests that covered Mount Lovcen and the surrounding area. The forests were so dark that the viewers got the impression of a "black" mountain.
During the Roman Empire, the territory of Montenegro was actually the territory of Duklja (Doclea). With the arrival of the Slovenes in the 7th century, Christianity quickly gained primacy in this region.
Duklja incorporated the area of Skadar Lake with the nearby mountains. The first Prince of Duklja was Vladimir. Duklja got its independence in 1040, and was proclaimed Kingdom in 1077. Thus, it became one of the first independent states in the Balkans. It was named Zeta, which in the old Slavic languages meant the harvesters.
Because of the common unrests and political upheavals, after the death of the rulers from the Vladimir and Vojisavljevic families, the Byzantium gained dominance over Zeta. The great ruler Nemanja, who took the leading position in this region in 1185, did not change the status of Zeta as an independent state, which it had in the past. In the 14 th century, under the leadership of the Balsic and Crnojevic dynasties, it became an independent feudal state and slowly expanded, fighting tirelessly the armies such as the Albanian, and later on, the Turkish and the Venetian one.
During the period of the Crnojevic's rule, due to the strong attacks of the Turkish army, the people, together with the Crnojevic family, had to retreat towards the Lovcen Mountain. Ivan Crnojevic chose Cetinje as his base and constructed a castle and a monastery there. Cetinje thus became the synonym of spiritual freedom and freedom of the state. Djuradj Crnojevic, the son of Ivan Crnojevic, ruled for a short period of time, but left invaluable wealth. During his rule, in 1493, the first printing shop in the Balkans was opened, and one year later, in 1494, the first book was printed - "Oktoih" (Octoechos).
The Turks took the rule over Montenegro in 1496 and join it to the Skadar province. Irrespective of that fact, Montenegro kept a high level of autonomy, and fully regained its independence in 1645.
Then the spiritual leaders, bishops take the rule in Montenegro and also take over the management of the country. At the time, the authorities in Montenegro were the All-Montenegrin Assembly and the Assembly of chiefs, while on the lower levels there were meetings of the chiefs. In 1697, the Montenegrin Assembly elevted Danilo I as the bishop. At that time the establishment of the Petrovic dynasty has started, as well as their fight for the unity of religion and politics.
Petar I Petrovic ( 1784 - 1830 ) is one of the most renowned persons in the Montenegrin history. Lead by him, Montenegro strengthened its independence, and after the great victories over the more numerous Turkish army, it freed itself from the Turkish influence and domination. He unified the Montenegrin clans and brought them closer to the coastal population, as the coast was under the influence of Austro-Hungary at the time. The successor of Petar I Petrovic was Petar II Petrovic Njegos. He was an extraordinary statesman, philosopher and writer. During his rule, this superb ruler established the state institutions, administrative and state authorities. He maintained links with Russia and engaged often in the fights against the Turks. He wrote many literary works, such as "Gorski vijenac" ("The Mountain Wreath") and "Luca mikrokozma" ("The light of microcosm), which made him one of the greatest writers of the world. During the rule of his successor, Danilo, the sovereignty of Montenegro was strengthened further and formally recognized. The important victory against the Turks in the Grahovac battle in 1858 contributed to that.
Montenegrin people, although significantly weaker in numbers, won in a significant number of battles against the Turks. During his rule the Prince and King Nikola enabled Montenegro to achieve significant political objectives. Lead by him, Montenegro recovered Bar and Ulcinj, and thus got a part of the Adriatic coast, and it also recovered Podgorica, Kolasin and Niksic. At the Berlin Congress, Montenegro received full international recognition. The fact that Montenegro was the only country in the Balkans that successfully fought against the Otoman Empire impressed Europe, and Montenegro became a kingdom in 1910.
The 20 th century represented a difficult period for Montenegro, as it lost its independence at the time and it disappeared from the political map of Europe. When the World War I broke out, Montenegro sided with Serbia and the allies. In 1916, after surrendering to Austro-Hungary, King Nikola went to exile. He spent a period of time in Italy, and then went to France. The attempts of the King and his Government to influence the events in Montenegro at the time were not successful. Serbia annexed Montenegro in 1918 and thus Montenegro lost everything that it gained through the centuries: its statehood, army and dynasty.
With the fall of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia before the fascist Germany in World War II, Montenegro proved again that the spirit of freedom cherished by its people did not disappear. On July 13, 1941, a large number of Montenegrins stood up against the Italian occupiers.
After World War II Montenegro improved its legal and state status and became one of the six equal republics of the Yugoslav federation..
After the turbulent years, in the end of the 20 th century, and after the disintegration of former Yugoslavia, Montenegro remained in the union with Serbia, thus these two republics formed the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
Most citizens at referendum held on May 21, 2006 voted independence of Montenegro. Thus today Montenegro is an independent state internationally recognized. UN received Montenegro as 192nd country member on July 27, 2006.
Every Montenegrin will be proud to speak to you for hours about his history and his ancestors.
(http://www.visit-montenegro.com/history.htm) |
|
|
|
alazaro
Envíos 10057 |
Enviado - 22 noviembre 2009 : 00:02:04
|
Montenegro’s Hidden Historical Treasures
Lawrence Marzouk
BalkanInsight.com
06 November 2009
In 2003, archaeologists Louise Schofield and Sean Kingsley described Montenegro as both a “dream and a nightmare”.
In a piece for an academic journal, they added: “One is hard pressed to think of any other European country whose archaeological landscape remains so enigmatically terra incognita. Because Montenegro has for centuries comprised the periphery of empires and nations, historically its cultural heritage has tended to be neglected. In terms of potential, however, it is over-ripe for picking.”
And while some of Montenegro’s hidden treasures have undoubtedly been discovered in the past six years, the country’s rich past remains largely unexplored.
This was exemplified when, this summer, a British family uncovered what is believed to be a lost, ancient temple while snorkelling in the Adriatic.
The large submerged building off the Montenegrin coast may have been the centrepiece of an important Greek or Roman trading post, swallowed up by the sea during a massive earthquake.
The discovery has sparked international interest in the largely unexplored world of archaeology in Montenegro.
Despite some significant work in areas such as the ancient city of Bar, much of this small, mountainous country has yet to be charted, especially the wrecks and ruins which lie under water.
A British team of experts led by Dr Lucy Blue, presenter of BBC2 television show Oceans, is now to investigate the potentially significant find in this largely unexplored corner of south east Europe.
Dr Blue said that if the discovery is confirmed to be an underwater temple it would “put Montenegro on the map”.
She added: “Montenegro is largely an undiscovered underwater world.”
The discovery was made while the Le Quesne family, from Buckinghamshire, England, was on a trip to their holiday home in Montenegro.
The family has been holidaying in the country since 1994, but had never visited Maljevik, a small bay of sand and shingle, sheltered by pines, near the city of Bar.
Michael, 16, was swimming just off the popular beach, with his father Charles, mother Vera and his ten-year-old sister Teodora, when he spotted an odd looking ‘stone’ at a depth of around two metres.
Mr Le Quesne, a professional archaeologist, fetched a snorkel and dived down to investigate. He discovered fluted columns, 90cm in diameter, on plinths, which appeared to form part of an ancient Greek or Roman temple, basilica or major public building, similar to those at other archaeological sites around the Mediterranean.
On a clear day, the columns are visible from the surface of the water, but it appears that the remains, which include ancient pottery, have stayed untouched for thousands of years.
Michael said: “When I first swam out, I thought they were just rocks, as most people would, but then I noticed that they were cylindrical and knew that they couldn’t be natural, so I called my dad over.
“I’ve been dragged around a lot of ancient ruins, so if it hadn’t been for that I wouldn’t have looked twice.”
The potential size of the structure and the discovery of other architectural remains nearby suggest the ‘temple’ could have formed part of a large Greek or Roman settlement, dating back as far as the 2nd century BC.
No historical records exist of a major settlement on the site, although the Montenegrin coast is dotted with ancient ruins yet to be documented.
The discovery has been described as “something that could rouse curiosity in the world of science” by Mladen Zagarcanin, the curator of the museum in Bar and archaeologist, who inspected the site the following day.
Work on site began last Wednesday as Mr Le Quesne returned to Montenegro as part of a team working for the University of Southampton’s Department of Maritime Archaeology.
Dr Blue and Professor David Peacock, both of the department, will join Mr Le Quesne to explore the underwater settlement next spring.
Mr Le Quesne, an archaeology expert and author on the subject, said: “If it is a monumental building it is not going to be part of a small hamlet, but it is not a missing
Atlantis, as we would already know about it. It remains a bit of a mystery.”
“The area was an important, ancient trading route, so it may have been a port.
“There are ancient shipwrecks all along this coast which, unfortunately, are being damaged and looted and which need protecting.”
In recent years, Montenegro’s rich, unexplored ancient history has lured organised crime gangs, which have flourished in the region since the collapse of Yugoslavia in the 90s. Valuable Roman and Greek pottery from shipwrecks is being plundered and sold to collectors in western Europe, it is believed.
So far, 2009 has proved an exciting year for underwater archaeology in Montenegro.
Before the discovery of the ancient temple, a local team working alongside American experts discovered the remains of two Roman cargo ships at the bottom of Kotor Bay, one of Montenegro most popular tourist attractions.
An Italian and Montenegrin team is also working on the ancient settlement of Stari Bar, which was occupied by Illyrian tribes because of its important defensive position.
(http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/features/23401/) |
|
|
|
|
MONTENEGRO. Història, tradició /Historia, tradició
