>>> download article (.pdf)

DOI: 10.34298/9788677431488121

UDC: 316.66-055.2:061.23(497.11)“18/19“

pp. 121–134

language: serbian

Ana Stolić

THE BRANCH OF THE WOMEN’S SOCIETY IN KRALJEVO (1878–1914)

Summary

The central idea of the paper is to observe a single segment of social, cultural and women’s history in the context of a broader, political process of centralisation and assumed resistance of the local milieu. The aim is to analyse the relationship between the core organisation – the Women’s Society, a voluntary humanitarian civic association headquartered in Belgrade, with one of its affiliated members – the branch in Kraljevo. The political milieu was the 19th-century modern national state aspiring to centralisation in all its aspects. The Women’s Society was an organisation of long duration (1875–1942) and was a phenomenon of sorts in the Principality/ Kingdom of Serbia, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes / Yugoslavia. It was only partly dependent on the state, which supervised and controlled its operation. A number of successful institutions sprang up (the Workers’ School, Market, Old Women’s House, Students’ Canteen). Working in these institutions, members of the Women’s Society gained experience in public activity. Although insights into the relationship between the Administration of the Women’s Society with branches are possible mainly through the analysis of branches’ annual reports, written in terse, bureaucratic language, it is evident that the centralisation policy was pursued from Belgrade all the time. The branch in Karanovac/Kraljevo was established in 1878 and was one of the oldest. Its members invested utmost effort in opening the Workers’ School in October 1892. They were obliged to comply with the Rules on Operation of the Branch and the School, but were also autonomous in managing the School and obtaining funds for operation through donor celebrations. They freely used money that they were saving in Kraljevo’s shareholding savings office. On the eve of the First World War, they collected significant capital. Judging by scarce data, in the first decade of the 20th century, its members developed special strategies to preserve some aspects of independence from the centre in Belgrade. It seems that the relatively numerous membership, reputation in the local milieu, as well as financial stability led to the situation when the Administration of Kraljevo’s branch was increasingly rejecting the pleas, requests and proposals of the Women’s Society in the capital.

Keywords: Women’s Society, branch in Kraljevo, 19th and 20th century, women’s history, policy of centralisation.