Bosnia: Hungary's Orient

This book explores the image Hungarians had of Bosnia and Herzegovina during its occupation (1878) and later annexation (1908) by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The research is based on diverse source materials, which include government publications, travelogues, polemical tracts, and geographic/ethnographic works. The focus of the study is on how Hungarians conceptualized their 'mission to civilize'. The major claim of the research is that there is a considerable correspondence between Western colonial discourse and the discourse produced by Hungarians. The creation of a political empire also necessitated the construction of a 'mental' empire. Bosnia was 'otherized' and 'orientalized' by Hungarian commentators and was made to appear as a negative counter-ego of the civilized Hungarian nation. Bosnia provided an ideal outlet for the demonstration of Hungarian political, economic and cultural superiority as well as a chance to demonstrate Hungary's strong alliance with Western civilization. This book should be of interest to anyone involved in post-colonial studies, nationalism, cross-cultural studies and the history of the Balkans.