The following basic fact has initiated this project: thorough research of live and work of dr Ivo Pilar (1874-1933) has previously not been conducted. He was a theoretician of Croatian modernization. Political and ideological circumstances after 1945 did not allow any research or attention to this prominent Croatian thinker, scientist, writer and public worker. Except rare and often false references in some lexicons he was stubbornly avoided in our scientific public. Historians, sociologists, psychologists, literal and legal historians kept silent about Pilar, although he was very important for each of these disciplines. He was one of the first, if not the first who began research in political geography and social psychology. His years long legal practice and political and cultural activity in Vienna, Zagreb and Bosnia-Herzegovina (Sarajevo, Tuzla) has still not been sufficiently researched. We are deeply convinced that this project, with its planned research of all important elements of live and work of Ivo Pilar will bring new insights of his intellectual potentials and achievements (both theoretical and practical). He was a distinguished representative of his generation and this project will present his generation and the time in which he lived. This will offer a different and undoubtedly clearer picture of Croatian circumstances during the final period of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the first Yugoslav state. The methodological aim of the project is to reach a reliable access to the most important components on Pilar’s works, life and public activities in the context of his concept of modernization in pre-modern Croatia. Accomplishing this task should be useful for a critical purpose, particularly with respect to his concepts, methodology and point of view. Pilar’s studies need to be critically examined in relation to his attendance in Banal Croatia and Bosnia and Hercegovina, i. e. during «long duration» in different kinds of state systems. Researchers shall adequately take into account a whole range of Pilar’s texts, still not included in Croatian historiography. The purpose of the project is to reach all relevant aspects of Ivo Pilar’s life and works, examining him as a distinguished theorist of Croatian modernization. The project will show a new image, not only on Pilar’s great intellectual reputation, but also on his theoretical and practical concept.
Leading researcher:
- dr. sc. Zlatko Matijević
Researchers:
- dr. sc. Stjepan Matković
