SIGNIFICANCE OF INSTITUTIONAL PRESERVATION OF A COLLECTIVE IDENTITY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF ZENICA Cover Image

ZNAČAJ INSTITUCIONALNE BRIGE ZA OČUVANJE KOLEKTIVNOG IDENTITETA, SA OSVRTOM NA MUZEJ GRADA ZENICE
SIGNIFICANCE OF INSTITUTIONAL PRESERVATION OF A COLLECTIVE IDENTITY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF ZENICA

Author(s): Mevludin Dizdarević
Subject(s): Cultural Essay, Political Essay, Societal Essay
Published by: Rijaset Islamske zajednice u Bosni i Hercegovini

Summary/Abstract: The arrival of the new government, following the end of the World War II, brought a dramatic and even brutal end to the traditional ways of living and strong attempts at establishing new identity not only for an individual but for the entire cities. This was particularly evident in Zenica, where the new regime had something special in mind. Indeed, it intended to build a totally new proletarian identity, one far removed from the previous one that was founded on the Islamic cultural heritage. While Sultan Ahmad mosque and madrasah stood at the center of the “old Zenica”, the “new Zenica” was to be built around the Steel Factory and uniform residential buildings. This article examines relationship of the institutions in terms of the collective identity and attempt to prove that identity cannot be validly preserved without organized institutions to care for it. The Museum of the City of Zenica is an indicative example of this thesis. In the earlier period, when the ideological state was present, the Museum’s actions were significantly directed at developing that type of identity. Now, it is turning to its primary purpose to preserve and nourish cultural identity of the community within which it exists.

  • Issue Year: 2007
  • Issue No: 31
  • Page Range: 65-72
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Bosnian