Brothers with Suitcases: Eight Chapters on the Austro-Hungarian Civilizing Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1878–1918)
| Author: | Vjera Borozan a Anna Remešová (eds.) |
| Year of publication: | 2025 |
| Publisher: | Academy of Fine Arts in Prague |
| ISBN: | 978-80-88366-62-1 |
| Language: | Czech |
The book Bratři s kufry (Brothers with Suitcases) is a collection of studies focusing on the Austro-Hungarian civilizing mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina during its occupation and annexation between 1878 and 1918. From the perspective of several scientific disciplines and methodological approaches, the publication traces the movement of people, goods, ideas, scientific knowledge, and capital between Prague, Vienna, and Sarajevo. Some of the contributions examine the role of actors from the Czech lands and their participation in the occupation administration, in the social discipline of the Bosnian population (through education, medicine, and law), and in the promotion of colonial "successes."
The second part of the texts reflects on these activities in a broader temporal and geopolitical framework and examines the question of the (dis)continuity of imperial policies. Both a close-up view of the specific activities of these individuals and a distanced view of the principles of colonial administration reveal the ambivalent role played by those who came to Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Czech lands (not only) with the prospect of financial gain and professional success, thanks to their linguistic and cultural affinity – hence the title of the book, Brothers with Suitcases.
Anna Remešová is pursuing a doctoral degree in the theory and history of contemporary art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where she focuses on the history of the Náprstek Museum and the semi-peripheral position of the Czech lands within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the past, she worked as an editor for the magazine Artalk and, together with Alžběta Bačíková, ran the etc. gallery, where she researched documentary strategies in contemporary art video. She collaborates externally with the Hraničář Gallery in Ústí nad Labem.
Vjera Borozan teaches the theory of contemporary art and 19th-century art at the Academy of Fine Arts (AVU). She studied art history and theory at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. From 2011 to 2019, she was the director of the online platform for contemporary art Artyčok TV. In the past, she worked at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Brno and the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. She was the director of the National Museum in Montenegro (2017–2018) and a long-term collaborator with the contemporary art initiative tranzit.cz.
Authors: Vjera Borozan, Anna Remešová, Edin Hajdarpašić, Markéta Křížová, Iva Lučić, Piro Rexhepi, Jakub Rákosník, Diana Reynolds Cordileone, Walter Sauer, Text - Walter Sauer: Austria-Hungary and European Colonialism, translated by Veronika Korjagina.