Usponi i padovi zagonetnog Mostarca - skica za biografiju Šerifa Arnautovića
The ups and downs of mysterious Mostar politician - sketches for a biography of Šerif Arnautović

Summary/Abstract: The historical science has not yet produced serious writing on Šerif Arnautović, although a comprehensive understanding of political and social life of Bosniaks (Muslims) in the first half of the twentieth century, especially the political developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Austro-Hungarian rule, is inconceivable without the analysis and understanding of the role of the famous politician from Mostar in the respective events and processes. It is hard to penetrate the motives that moved him in his work and shaped his political and cultural aspirations, his national concepts and views on state-shaping movements, from his assignment as a secretary of Mostar kiraethana in the late nineteenth century to the function of a senator of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during the 6th of January dictatorship. As far as his national conceptions are concerned, it is unlikely that his “nationalism” meant anything else than bare party-political pragmatism without any emotion and affection towards his partners in common political aspirations. On the other hand, Arnautović was most direct among political leaders in highlighting the separate identity of Bosnian Muslims against Serbs and Croats. Nevertheless, due to specific historical circumstances, Arnautović cooperated with different political and social subjects, from both Serbian and Croatian side, trying to protect basic Bosnian Muslim interest and preserve his political relevance on the public scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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