Authors

Takuya Nakazawa¹;  ¹ The Embassy of Japan in Albania, Japan

Discussion

This paper analyzes how Njegoš, a 19th century Montenegrin monarch, bishop and poet, changed from being a common historical figure for Montenegrins and Serbs to being a historical figure sorely for Montenegrins in socialist Yugoslavia. In 1947 and 1951, anniversary ceremonies were held in Montenegro to commemorate him, and at that time Njegoš was considered a common historical heritage for Serbs and Montenegrins. In fact, at that time Serbs and Montenegrins were not considered to be completely separate peoples. However, in the late 1960s, the Communist Party led an effort to affirm Montenegrin national culture. This led to intellectuals sympathetic to the party in Montenegro separating Njegoš from his Serbian heritage and positioning him as a uniquely Montenegrin figure. Moreover, when the Serbian Orthodox Church, claiming that it was most important for him to be an Orthodox bishop, refused to destroy the church dedicated to him, not only the Montenegrin party but also the Serbian and Macedonian parties criticized “Greater Serbianism” and recognized Njegoš as a national poet of Montenegro. This paper analyzes, based on historical documents, how the national classification of Njegoš, a national poet, has changed with the transition of Yugoslav national ideology.