SERBSKO-ALBAŃSKA KOEGZYSTENCJA W KOSOWIE W LATACH 1878–1912 NA PRZYKŁADZIE OSMAŃSKIEGO PAŃSTWOWEGO SYSTEMU EDUKACYJNEGO
SERBIAN-ALBANIAN COEXISTENCE IN KOSOVO IN 1878–1912: THE EXAMPLE OF THE OTTOMAN STATE EDUCATION SYSTEM

Summary/Abstract: The principle of equality proclaimed by the Edict of Gulhane (tur. Gülhane Hatt-ı Şerîf) in 1839 resulted in many changes in the socio-political sphere of the Ottoman society, but also with several legal acts regarding education issued by the Ottoman authorities. The Constitution of the Ottoman Empire from 1876 proclaimed equality between all citizens of the state regardless of ethnicity and religion. Even though, relations between the Albanian and Serbian populations in the Kosovo Vilayet were tense in all aspects of socio-political spheres. The representatives of Albanians, as a majority in the vilayet, defended the status of Islam as a dominant religion and Christianity as a re- ligion of slaves (rayah). As the Ottoman authorities issued many legal acts regarding formal basic education in Islamic primary schools (mekteb) during the second half of the 19th century, tensions and misunderstandings between the Serbian and Albanian populations increased. This paper ana- lyzes relations between Serbs and Albanians in the Vilayet of Kosovo in 1878–1912 in the area of implementation of the right to primary education for both communities as this issue has not been researched in detail until now. Our research is based on interdisciplinary approach to the subject and the use of primary archival sources of the Ottoman and Serbian provenance, as well as the relevant literature.

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