Page 248 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2017. Glasbene migracije: stičišče evropske glasbene raznolikosti - Musical Migrations: Crossroads of European Musical Diversity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 1
P. 248
glasbene migracije: stičišče evropske glasbene raznolikosti
teachers, policemen, engineers, economists and other professionals. “Since
professionals of such profiles could not be found in Bosnia and Herzego-
vina, recruitment of professionals from other Monarchy countries began,
particularly from the countries that had a surplus of staff and whose lan-
guage was similar. Besides, they had to be people capable of fast adjustment
to an extremely complex environment, which differed from other parts of
the Monarchy. It was the immigrants who made up the backbone of the ad-
ministration apparatus. For many of them, it was a great opportunity to
develop career and advance fast, for others only an opportunity to cope.”7
The settlement had a considerable effect on the demographic image
of the town, since Germans, Czechs, Hungarians, Croatians and Slove-
nians now made up half of the town’s population. For Austro-Hungarian
policy, the process of settlement was both a realistic need and a meaning-
ful though apparently unobtrusive way of spreading the pro-West life and
style. To be precise, the immigrants were supposed to complete indirectly
the process of spreading cultural influences started by political means. The
administration counted both on the individual, accidental impact of im-
migrants as well as on the staff officially appointed to executive positions,
whose mission included activities directed towards spreading Western Eu-
ropean values (e.g. state teachers).8
Indeed, the civilizing mission seemed to have yielded successful re-
sults, since the contemporary cultural spirit spread across Sarajevo at light-
ning speed. However, the crucial problem was that its main consumers in-
cluded foreigners, while the local population looked upon it with contempt.
It was contributed by the fact that, at the authority level, the B&H popula-
tion was typically left on the side, the executive positions being assigned to
immigrants, while the respectable members of the local population were
occasionally appointed to positions of “decorative” significance.9 The for-
eigners’ dominance in all aspects of national administration, starting from
economy, the judiciary, the military and the police embittered the B&H
population. This is the reason for the derogatory label “carpet-baggers” for
officers, and then for all the other immigrants, since its intention was to
hint that they had come to B&H with baggage, in order to “stuff” it with all
the B&H treasure, including the respectable social positions.10 Even more
7 Sarajevo. The Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Nova publikacija 3, rkp.
8 Okey, Taming Balkan Nationalism, 220.
9 Sarajevo. The Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Nova publikacija 3, rkp.
10 Ibid..
246
teachers, policemen, engineers, economists and other professionals. “Since
professionals of such profiles could not be found in Bosnia and Herzego-
vina, recruitment of professionals from other Monarchy countries began,
particularly from the countries that had a surplus of staff and whose lan-
guage was similar. Besides, they had to be people capable of fast adjustment
to an extremely complex environment, which differed from other parts of
the Monarchy. It was the immigrants who made up the backbone of the ad-
ministration apparatus. For many of them, it was a great opportunity to
develop career and advance fast, for others only an opportunity to cope.”7
The settlement had a considerable effect on the demographic image
of the town, since Germans, Czechs, Hungarians, Croatians and Slove-
nians now made up half of the town’s population. For Austro-Hungarian
policy, the process of settlement was both a realistic need and a meaning-
ful though apparently unobtrusive way of spreading the pro-West life and
style. To be precise, the immigrants were supposed to complete indirectly
the process of spreading cultural influences started by political means. The
administration counted both on the individual, accidental impact of im-
migrants as well as on the staff officially appointed to executive positions,
whose mission included activities directed towards spreading Western Eu-
ropean values (e.g. state teachers).8
Indeed, the civilizing mission seemed to have yielded successful re-
sults, since the contemporary cultural spirit spread across Sarajevo at light-
ning speed. However, the crucial problem was that its main consumers in-
cluded foreigners, while the local population looked upon it with contempt.
It was contributed by the fact that, at the authority level, the B&H popula-
tion was typically left on the side, the executive positions being assigned to
immigrants, while the respectable members of the local population were
occasionally appointed to positions of “decorative” significance.9 The for-
eigners’ dominance in all aspects of national administration, starting from
economy, the judiciary, the military and the police embittered the B&H
population. This is the reason for the derogatory label “carpet-baggers” for
officers, and then for all the other immigrants, since its intention was to
hint that they had come to B&H with baggage, in order to “stuff” it with all
the B&H treasure, including the respectable social positions.10 Even more
7 Sarajevo. The Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Nova publikacija 3, rkp.
8 Okey, Taming Balkan Nationalism, 220.
9 Sarajevo. The Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Nova publikacija 3, rkp.
10 Ibid..
246
