An Analysis of the Use of Terminological Determinants „Art of Islam“ and „Islamic Art“

Ovaj rad govori o svojevrsnoj analizi fenomenološke vrijednosti termina „islamska umjetnost“ i „umjetnost islama“ u kojoj se pokušava rasvijetliti jedinstven tretman takvog nazivlja prisutan u zapadnim ali i u muslimanskim izvorima, koji sa stanovišta islamskog civilizacijskog načela predstavljaju neprikladne i neutemeljene forme. Fokusirajući se na kognitivni i rekognitivni pristup produktivno-refleksivne reprezentacije likovne problematike unutar ove teme, odnosno nudeći moguće rješenje, ovaj istraživački rad se „sukobljava“ sa stereotipima kojima savremena teorija i historija umjetnosti u duhu zapadnog civilizacijskog poimanja, aplicirajući aspekt globalizacije na sve što smatra opsegom svoje naučne oblasti na isti način pristupa svakoj civilizacijskoj tekovini svodeći je na klasične zapadne postulate. Objašnjavajući ovaj fenomen, dakle izraženu a ne primjerenu potrebu za svođenjem svih oblika kreativnog djelovanja na zajedničke imenitelje, pri čemu jedni gube a drugi dobijaju, ova se studija, posredstvom paralelnog uvođenja odgovarajućih latinskih i arapskih termina, te njihovih mogućih leksičkih veza kroz teorijske postavke zapadnog civilizacijskog kruga, upravo približava specifičnim karakteristikama istočnom/islamskom civilizacijskom krugu – homo faber, homo islamicus, homo fannān… Zanimljivo i sasvim specifično je da upravo približavajući se kroz metodološki postupak ovom nazivlju s istočne i sa suprotne zapadne strane, dolazi se do zaključka da je riječ o dijametralno raznorodnim pojavama, koje u konačnici zapadne orijentacije nose naziv „umjetnost“, dok se islamska orijentacija objašnjava i definira posredstvom nazivlja koje je utemeljeno u sakralnom i profanom produktivno-refleksivnom diskursu djelanja/uređenja/dizajna, odnosno qadar/ṣināʿata homo islamicusa. Zaključit ćemo, dakle, da razumijevanje kao ni suštinsko značenje pojma „umjetnost“ u islamskoj civilizaciji s jedne i ostalih civilizacija s druge strane niti mogu niti znače isto. Također, brojna pitanja i dogme, koje su ranije postavljene, bivaju spomenute a neke i razriješene u ovom radu.This paper is a distinctive analysis of the phenomenological value of terms „Islamic art“ or „art of Islam“, which attempts to clarify the common treatment of such terms found in both Western and Muslim sources and which are inappropriate and ungrounded formulations from the viewpoint of traditional Islamic civilizational principles. By focusing on the cognitive and precognitive approach to the productive-reflective representation of elements of visual art within this topic (i.e. by offering a possible solution) this study „comes into conflict“ with stereotypes that contemporary theories and history of art in the spirit of Western understanding of civilization, which can apply the aspect of globalization to anything it considers within the scope of its scientific area and approaches any civilizational achievement in the same way, reducing it to classic Western postulates. In the explanation of this phenomenon (i.e. a prominent rather than appropriate need to reduce all forms of creative activity to common denominators whereby some lose and others win) the study introduces corresponding Latin and Arabic terms in parallel, and their possible lexical connections through theoretical tenets of Western civilizational circle to come closer to distinctive characteristics of Eastern/Islamic civilizational circle (homo faber, homo islamicus, homo fannān, and so forth). It is interesting and totally distinctive that it is by approaching this terminology both from the Eastern and from the opposite, Western side through a methodological process one comes to the conclusion that these are diametrically opposite phenomena, which the ultimate Western definition names „art“, while Islamic denotation is explained and defined by means of terms grounded in the sacral and profane productive-reflective discourse of homo islamicus’s action-design/qadar, respectively qadar/ṣināʿat. Thus, we will conclude that understanding and the essential meaning of the concept of „art“ in Islamic civilization from the one hand and in other civilizations on the other are not and cannot be the same. Also, many of the issues and dogmas raised earlier are mentioned and some are addressed in this paper

An Analysis of the Use of Terminological Determinants “Art of Islam”

Ovaj članak je nastavak prethodno objavljenog rada i odnosi se na osebujnu fenomenološku analizu strukture/oblika i produkcije modaliteta minijatura/iluminacija/slikovnih prikaza, odnosno produktivno-reflektivne orijentacije homo islamicusa s odvojenom analizom njegovog profano-estetiziranog diskursa djelanja/uređenja/dizajna. Posebna pažnja posvećuje se paradigmi redukcije, odnosno mogućoj transformaciji kognitivne i produktivno-reflektivne orijentacije ostvarene denaturalizacijom/stilizacijom, kao i analizi statusa paradigmatskog i predefniranog položaja homo islamicusa u profano-kognitivnoj i prepoznatljivo-sakralnoj produkciji. Karakterizacija njegovog djela i ispunjenja religioznog života uestetiziranom diskursu qadar/ṣināʿata – također je korištena za raspravu o neprimjerenom okcidentalnom akademskom pristupu/razumijevanju, nametnutom neprikladnom potrebom da se bilo koji oblik kreativnog djelovanja svede na zajedničke zapadne imenitelje/nazivlje. Supstanca pojave kreativne akcije teoretski se razrađuje pomoću kognitivnog diskursa qadar/ṣināʿata, zajedno s aktivirajućom figuralnošću na ideji zatvorenog koncepta kolaborativno-kognitivne prakse. Širenje teorijskog diskursa omogućilo je prisutnost novog pogleda na religijsko-estetsku filozofiju i definirajuće nazivlje, poštujući specifičnosti koje proizlaze iz osnovnih tradicionalnih interpretacija islamskih oblika estetiziranog određenja. Namjera ove kratke analize je pokrenuti raspravu o problematici teorijskog i povijesnog, onog drugog dijela „historije umjetnosti“ i „umjetničke produkcije“ u kritičnom okviru kako okcidentalnih tako i islamskih stavova/gledišta. Istovremeno, to će pridonijeti mogućem temeljnom diskursu za definiranje izraza islamsko kreativno djelanje homo islamicusa kao znanstvenom polju unutar šire discipline koja se deklarira/titulira kao „historija umjetnosti“.This article follows from the previously published paper and pertains to a distinctive phenomenological analysis of the structure/form and the production of the modality of miniature/illumination/pictorial representation, namely the productive-reflective orientation of homo islamicus with a separate analysis of his profanely-aestheticized discourse of action/arrangement/design. A particular attention is paid to the paradigm of reduction, i.e. to a possible transformation of the cognitive and productive-reflective orientation by means of denaturalization/ stylization, as well as to the analysis of the status of homo islamicus's paradigmatic and predefined position within both the profane-cognitive and recognitive-sacral production. The characterization of his work and his fulfillment of religious life within the aesteticized discourse of qadar/ṣināʿat was also used to discuss the opposition to the occidental academic approach/understanding, imposed by the inappropriate need to reduce any form of creative action to common Western denominators. Substance of the emergence of creative action is theoretically elaborated by means of the cognitive discourse of qadar/ṣināʿat, together with activating figurality on the idea of the closed concept of the collaborative-cognitive practice. The expansion of theoretical discourse allowed the presence of a new view on the religious-aesthetic philosophy and associated terms, respecting the specifics deriving from the basic traditional interpretations of the Islamic forms of aestheticized orientation. This brief analysis is intended to initiate a discussion on the issues of theoretical and historical other part of the „history of arts“ and „artistic production“ in the critical framework of both occidental and Islamic attitudes/views. This brief analysis is intended to initiate a discussion on the issues of theoretical and historical other part of the „history of arts“ and „artistic production“ in the critical framework of both occidental and Islamic attitudes/views. At the same time, it will contribute to a possible fundamental discourse for defining the expression homo islamicus's Islamic creative action' as an academic field within a broader discipline entitled as the „history of arts“

QADAR/SINA´AT – „Islamic art“ first part

Namjera ove analize je započeti raspravu o nekim dijelovima povijesti onog što se deklarira ili titulira kao „islamska umjetnost“, u kritičnom okviru kako okcidentalno- vesterniziranih tako i nekih muslìmānskīh teorijskih pogleda. Analizom i postavljanjem granica u skladu s prevladavajućim autoritetima, pridonijet će se vitalnim modalitetima diskursâ qadar/ṣināʿata, koji su rezolutno ìslāmskī i u skladu s izvorištem (ar. al-mardžaʿili al-maṣdar). Posebno se želi skrenuti pažnja na zalaganje za različitost, upravo zbog okcidentalno-vesterniziranog akademskog nastojanja da se zanemari duh jedinstva i autorefleksivne islamske konstante karakterističnih diskursâ qadar/ṣināʿata uz nametanje umjetne dihotomije sakralnog i profanog, te paradigmatskih pogleda na vrednovanje kreativnog (estetiziranog) postignuća začetnika/dizajnera reprezentacije, odnosno homo islamicusa, kao apsolutnog zapadnjačkog vlasništva (western ownership).             S druge strane, estetizirano djelanje homo islamicusa u okviru svjesne rekognitivne i kognitivne produktivno-refleksivne orijentacije ima vrlo konkretno povijesno postojanje. Ako za titulaciju „islamska umjetnost“ možemo upotrijebiti poznati Derridaov mot ili grif  ‘il n’y a pas de hors-texte’ (“ništa ne postoji izvan teksta“), za estetizirano djelanje homo islamicusa ne možemo pitati postoji li ili ne postoji. Čini se da bi pravilno pitanje u vezi s modalitetima diskursâ qadar/ṣināʿata glasilo ‘qu'est-ce qu'il y a de hors-texte’? (“što se nalazi izvan teksta? “). Susrešćemo se i s neprimjerenim nazivljem, kao što je npr. upotreba pojma dekorativno kao ekvivalenta za ornamentalno ili arabeskno za estetizirani izraz beskonačnog uzorka, kao i podjelu na centralne i rubne umjetničke produkcije, odnosno središta eurocentrične kulturne moći i tzv. njenu periferiju. Skrenuta je pozornost na okcidentalno-vesternizirano pozicioniranje teorije umjetnosti na vrh evolucije i kreativne zrelosti, što u konačnici ima za cilj jedinstvenu hegemoniju „Novog svijeta“, odnosno podvrgavanje i „kultiviranje“ bilo kojeg neevropskog ili nevesterniziranog entiteta, a posebno kreativnog bivstvovanja unutar klasične tradicije ìslāmske kulture (ar. al-thaqāfah al-islāmiyyah) i ìslāmske civilizacije (ar. al-ḥaḍārah al-islāmiyyah ili al-tamaddun al- islāmiyy).             Na koncu mora se primjetiti da okcidentalno-vesterniziran način akademskog razmišljanja u ovoj oblasti, te bilo kojih drugih teorija koje djeluju unutar granica indeksnog poretka i taksonomije, uključujući i koncept današnje globalizacije, također predstavljaju sistemske obrasce autoriteta, kontrole i vrednovanja, a time i isključenosti prema drugima. Međutim, takva forma nametanja linearnog ili cikličkog načina tumačenja, se ipak suočava sa vrlo stvarnim izazovima svojstvenim pisanju globalne „historije umjetnosti“ i potpunim odsustvom razumijevanja drugih i drugačijih formi kreativnog izražavanja.This analysis is aimed at initiating a discussion of some parts of the history of what is declared or titled „Islamic art”, within the critical and theoretical framework of both Occidental-Western and (some) Muslim perspectives. The analysis and establishments of limits in line with the prevailing authorities will contribute to the vital modalities of qadar/ṣināʿat discourse which are resolutely Islamic and in line with their source (ar. al-marjaʿ or al-maṣdar). Particular attention is drawn to advocating differences, due to Occidental-westernized academic efforts to ignore the spirit of unity and the self-re ective Islamic constant of qadar/ṣināʿat discourses and impose the arti cial dichotomy of the sacral and profane, and due to paradigmatic views on the evaluation of the creative (aestheticized) achievement of the originator/designer of representation, (i.e. homo islamicus) as absolute western ownership. On the other hand, the aestheticized activity of homo islamicus within the conscious recognitive and cognitive productive-re ective orientation has a very speci c historical existence. If the well-known saying of Jacques Derrida – the well known Postmodernist, ‘il n’y a pas de hors-texte’ („there is nothing outside the text”) can be applied to the title „Islamic art”, we can raise the question as to whether the aestheticized activity of homo islamicus exists or not. It seems that the proper question related to the modalities of qadar/ṣināʿat discourse should be ‘qu'est-ce qu'il y a de hors-texte’ („what is there outside the text?”). We will also encounter inappropriate terms, such as the use of the term decorative as an equivalent to ornamental or arabesque for aestheticized expression of an in nite sample, as well as the classi cation into central and marginal artistic productions, (i.e. the center of the Eurocentric cultural power and its so-called periphery). Attention is drawn to the Occidental-westernized positioning of the theory of arts at the top of creative maturity, which is ultimately aimed at the unique hegemony of the „New World”, (i.e. the submission and „cultivation” of any non-European and non-westernized entity), and particularly of the creative existence within the classical tradition of Islamic culture (ar. al-thaqāfah al-islāmiyyah) and Islamic civilization (ar. al-ḥaḍārah al-islāmiyyah or al-tamaddun al-islāmiyy). Finally, it should be noted that the Occidental-westernized manner of academic thinking in this area, and of any other theories applied within the borders of index order and taxonomy (including the concept of current globalization), also represent systematic patterns of authority, control and evaluation, and thus the exclusion of others. However, such a form of imposing a linear or cyclic way of interpretation still faces very real challenges typical of writing a global „history of art” and the complete absence of understanding other and different forms of creative expression

Qadar/ṣināʿat – a prodSuct of the classical-traditional attitude toward the Qur'an, Sunnah and Hadith

Namjera ove analize je nastaviti već započetu raspravu (iz prethodnih brojeva) o nekim dijelovima povijesti onog što se deklarira ili titulira kao „islamska umjetnost“ u kritičnom okviru kako okcidentalnovesterniziranih tako i nekih muslìmānskīh teorijskih pogleda. Analizom i postavljanjem granica u skladu s prevladavajućim autoritetima, pridonijet će se vitalnim modalitetima diskursâ qadar/ṣināʿata, koji su rezolutno ìslāmskī i u skladu s izvorištem (ar. al-mardžaʿ ili al-maṣdar). Posebno se želi skrenuti pažnja na zalaganje za različitost, upravo zbog okcidentalno-vesterniziranog akademskog nastojanjada se zanemari duh jedinstva i autorefleksivnost islamskih konstanti karakterističnih diskursâ qadar/ṣināʿata uz nametanje umjetne dihotomije sakralnog i profanog, te paradigmatskih pogleda na vrednovanje estetiziranog postignuća začetnika/dizajnera reprezentacije, odnosno homo islamicusa, kao apsolutnog zapadnjačkog vlasništva (western ownership).Na koncu mora se primjetiti da okcidentalno-vesterniziran način akademskog razmišljanja u ovoj oblasti, te bilo kojih drugih teorija koje djeluju unutar granica indeksnog poretka i taksonomije, uključujući i koncept današnje globalizacije, također predstavljaju sistemske obrasce autoriteta, kontrole i vrednovanja, a time i isključenosti prema drugima.Međutim, takva forma nametanja linearnog ili cikličkog načina tumačenja, se ipak suočava sa vrlo stvarnim izazovima svojstvenim pisanju globalne „historije umjetnosti“ i potpunim odsustvom razumijevanja drugih i drugačijih formi kreativnog izražavanja.The intention of this analysis is to continue the discussion (from the previous issuees) of some parts of the history of what is declared or titled „Islamic art”, within the critical and theoretical framework of both Occidental Western and (some) Muslim perspectives. The analysis and establishments of limits in line with the prevailing authorities will contribute to the vital modalities of qadar/ṣināʿat discourse which are resolutely Islamic and in line with their source (ar. al-marjaʿ or al-maṣdar). Particular attention is drawn to advocating differences, due to Occidental-westernized academic efforts to ignore the spirit of unity and the self-reflective Islamic constants of qadar/ṣināʿat discourses and impose the artificial dichotomy of the sacral and profane, and due to paradigmatic views on the evaluation of the aestheticized achievement of the originator/designer of representation, (i.e. homo islamicus) as absolute western ownership.Finally, it should be noted that the Occidental-westernized manner of academic thinking in this area, and of any other theories applied within the borders of index order and taxonomy, including the concept of current globalization, also represent systematic patterns of authority, control and evaluation, and thus exclusion of others. However, such a form of imposing a linear or cyclic way of interpretation still faces very real challenges typical of writing a global “history of art” and the complete absence of understanding other and different forms of creative expression

Qadar/ṣināʿat – a product of the classical-traditional attitude toward the Qur'an, Sunnah and Hadith

Namjera ove analize je nastaviti započetu raspravu (iz prethodnih brojeva) o nekim dijelovima povijesti onog što se deklarira ili titulira kao „islamska umjetnost“ u kritičnom okviru kako okcidentalnovesterniziranih tako i nekih muslìmānskīh teorijskih pogleda. Analizom i postavljanjem granica u skladu s prevladavajućim autoritetima, pridonijet će se vitalnim modalitetima diskursâ qadar/ṣināʿata, koji su rezolutno ìslāmskī i u skladu s izvorištem (ar. al-mardžaʿili al-maṣdar). Posebno se želi skrenutipažnja na zalaganje za različitost, upravo zbog okcidentalno-vesterniziranog akademskog nastojanja da se zanemari duh jedinstva i autorefleksivnih islamskih konstanti karakterističnih diskursâ qadar/ṣināʿata uz nametanje umjetne dihotomije sakralnog i profanog, te paradigmatskih pogleda na vrednovanje kreativnog (estetiziranog) postignuća začetnika/dizajnera reprezentacije, odnosno homo islamicusa, kao apsolutnog zapadnjačkog vlasništva (western ownership).S druge strane, estetizirano djelanje homo islamicusa u okviru svjesne rekognitivne i kognitivne produktivno-refleksivne orijentacije ima vrlo konkretno povijesno postojanje. Ako za titulaciju „islamska umjetnost“ možemo upotrijebiti poznati Derridaov moto ili grif ‘il n’y a pas de hors-texte’ („ništa ne postoji izvan teksta“), za estetizirano djelanje homo islamicusa ne možemo pitati postoji li ili ne postoji. Čini se da bi pravilno pitanje u vezi s modalitetima diskursâ qadar/ṣināʿata glasilo ‘qu’est-cequ’il y a de hors-texte’? („što se nalazi izvan teksta?“).The intention of this analysis is to continue the discussion (from the previous issuees) of some parts of the history of what is declared or titled „Islamic art”, within the critical and theoretical framework of both Occidental-Western and (some) Muslim perspectives. The analysis and establishments of limits in line with the prevailing authorities will contribute to the vital modalities of qadar/ṣināʿat discourse which are resolutely Islamic and in line with their source (ar. al-marjaʿ or al-maṣdar). Particular attention is drawn to advocating differences, due to Occidental-westernized academic efforts to ignore the spirit of unity and the self-reflective Islamic constants of qadar/ṣināʿat discourses and impose the artificial dichotomy of the sacral and profane, and due to paradigmatic views on the evaluation of the creative (aestheticized) achievement of the originator/designer of representation, (i.e. homo islamicus) as absolute western ownership. On the other hand, the aestheticized activity of homo islamicus within the conscious recognitive and cognitive productive-reflective orientation has a very specific historical existence. If the well-known saying of Jacques Derrida – the well known Postmodernist, ‘il n’y a pas de hors-texte’ („there is nothing outside the text”) can be applied to the title „Islamic art”, we can raise the question as to whether the aestheticized activity of homo islamicus exists or not. It seems that the proper question related to the modalities of qadar/ṣināʿat discourse should be ‘qu'est-ce qu'ily a de hors-texte’ („what is there outside the text?”)

Travelling Exhibition 'Cities on the Move - Post-Ottoman. Ankara, Belgrade, Istanbul und Sarajevo im Visier von Fotoreportern, 1902er und 1930er Jahre'

For 500 years, the Ottoman Empire ruled over the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor (Anatolia) until, at the end of World War I, it ultimately fell apart. Out of its ruins, modern nation states were created, which rejected the Ottoman legacy. This resulted in profound changes in the everyday lives of people, especially of those living in the large cities. Press photographs of the interwar period highlight the changes in four selected cities within two of these nation states: Istanbul and Ankara in Turkey, Belgrade and Sarajevo in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia). These four cities experienced the changes in equally profound, but very different ways: Istanbul was the former centre of the fallen Ottoman world; Ankara became the capital of the Turkish Republic. Belgrade, the seat of the Serbian king, was expanded to become the capital of Yugoslavia and, for the first time, the Bosnian city of Sarajevo was administered in its own language. The images presented in this exhibition provide unexpected insights into unknown, yet somehow familiar, life worlds: in the city centres, fashionably dressed pedestrians walk by new buildings and numerous construction sites. Military and sports groups celebrate the young nations in street parades and newly opened sports stadiums. Yet the bazaar, the heart of every Ottoman town, continues to function as a meeting place where people buy and sell while sharing the latest gossip. Here, time seems to stand still. The photographs are grouped accordingly, to cover five topics: 1. The City Centre; 2. Nation and the Body; 3. Dressing the Nation; 4. Leisure and Religion; 5. The Bazaar. They document an urban public that is surprisingly similar in Istanbul, Belgrade, Ankara and Sarajevo. We find many references to the post-Ottoman context, but even more to European urbanity and the zeitgeist of the 1920s and 1930s.The images were mostly taken by photographers working for the leading Turkish and Yugoslav daily newspapers published in Belgrade and Istanbul at that time: for Cumhuriyet, Namık Görgüç and Selahattin Giz, for Politika, Aleksandar Simić and Raka Ruben, and for Vreme, Svetozar Grdijan. These press photographers often worked in pairs and usually shared their work. It is therefore difficult to attribute authorship. Pictures originating from Politika and Cumhuriyet are indicated as the work of Simić/Ruben (Politika) and Görgüç/Giz (Cumhuriyet). Giz' archive is today owned by Yapı Kredi (Yapı Kredi Tarih Arşivi, Istanbul). The pictures attributed to Aca Simić and today held by the Belgrade Museum of Applied Arts (Muzej primenjene umetnosti) were purchased directly from the photographer's widow. In other cases, Simić signed his own negatives. The Vreme archive that holds Svetozar Grdijan's work is in the possession of Borba Fotodokumentacija. Sarajevo photography professor Mehmed A. Ak�amija and Istanbul photo historian and curator of the Museum of Photography, Cengiz Kahraman, have opened their outstanding photography collections for this exhibition. The authorship of these pictures and others provided by the Ankara Municipality (Ankara Büyükşehir Belediyesi), the Ankara National Library (Ankara Milli Kütüphane), the Belgrade Theatre Museum (Muzej Pozori�ne Umetnosti), the Sarajevo City Museum (Muzej Sarajeva), the Sarajevo Historical Archive (Historijski Arhiv Sarajeva), Bilgi University, and VEKAM, is attributed where the author's identity has been researched and is known. In addition, several photographs taken by the exceptional Bosnian photographer Alija M. Ak�amija, then 19 years old, and by Istanbul photographer Jean Weinberg, are on display. This exhibition is the result of the research project SIBA - A Visual Approach to Explore Everyday Life in Turkish and Yugoslav Cities, 1920s and 1930s, which is associated to the Middle Eastern Studies, Social Sciences Department, University of Basel, and financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation. In the exhibition, we use the same identification numbers as in our scientific database. The four figures indicated under the photographic reproductions link the pictures with the captions list in this guide and, with the consent of the copyright holders, with detailed descriptions available on our scientific online portal VASE, the Visual Archive Southeastern Europe (http://gams.uni-graz.at/vase)

Visual Archive Southeastern Europe - SIBA: A Visual Approach to Explore Everyday Life in Turkish and Yugoslav Cities, 1920s and 1930s

The main objective of the Visual Archive Southeastern Europe (VASE) is to assemble historical and contemporary visual materials from this region of Europe. VASE seeks to draw attention to the image as a primary source, to promote visual studies as a technique and method and thereby to enrich predominantly text-based historical-anthropological research. By providing access to different types of images - e.g. photographs and postcards - VASE aims to enhance reflection on (self-)images of Southeastern Europe, both within the academic community as well as in society in general. The database may not be used for commercial purposes. Sarajevo Istanbul Belgrade Ankara - all four cities shared a common past under the Ottoman Empire, and all underwent a period of accelerated modernization and urbanization in the decades before and after World War I when they were incorporated into the new Republic of Turkey and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia respectively. The SIBA project conducted by Prof. Nataša Mišković, Joël László, Milanka Matić and Yorick Tanner, and in collaboration with Prof. Mehmed Akšamija, Cengiz Kahraman, Dr. Ranka Gašić, Miloš Jurišić, Goran Knežević and Kristina Ilić, explores the social, cultural, political and urban development of these cities in the interwar period, focusing on the work of local press photographers