Тhe centenary of the birth of Academician Desanka Kovačević Kojić
A ceremonial session marking the centenary of the birth of Academician Desanka Kovačević Kojić was held on Friday, 3 October, in the SASA Grand Hall.
Desanka Kovačević Kojić (B. Sarajevo, 3 October 1925 – d. Belgrade, 13 August 2022) was one of the most distinguished Serbian historians, whose work made a profound contribution to the study of medieval history. She graduated in 1950 in historical sciences at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade, where she also defended her doctoral thesis titled ‘Trade in Medieval Bosnia’. During the 1957/1958 school year, she furthered her professional training at the École Pratique des Hautes Études at the Sorbonne, under the mentorship of Professor Fernand Braudel.
Upon completing her studies, she was appointed assistant at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo (1950), where she advanced through all academic ranks, becoming a full professor in 1969 on the course titled The History of the People of Yugoslavia in the Middle Ages. She would occasionally give lectures as part of the Auxiliary Sciences of History course.
She conducted scientific research at the Historical Archives in Dubrovnik for years, as well as in libraries and archives of Venice, Florence and Milan. Several thematic units were of interest to her studies, with the most frequent ones being trade, mining and the cities of medieval Serbia and Bosnia, as well as their economic ties with Dubrovnik and the Mediterranean.
Elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1975, she became a full member in 1981, while in 1994, she was elected a full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. At SASA, she led the project Trade Ledger Letters to the Kabužić Brothers in Dubrovnik from Venice.
Within the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, she headed the project entitled ‘Trade Ledger Letters to the Kabužić Brothers in Dubrovnik from Venice’. She participated in the foundation of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Republika Srpska (1993), becoming an external member in 1996. Between 1979 and 2004, she was a permanent member and associate of the Commission Internationale pour l’Histoire des Villes, continuing her participation in the work of the Commission as an honorary member. She was a long-standing member of various scientific boards in the field of history, as well as a member of the editorial boards of expert journals.
She published over 100 scientific papers, essays and reviews in domestic and foreign scientific journals. She authored numerous historical studies and monographs, with the following standing out: Bosnia and Herzegovina in Middle Ages (Sarajevo, 1954), Trade in Medieval Bosnia (Sarajevo, 1961), Town Settlements of Medieval Bosnian State (Sarajevo, 1978) Trade Ledger Books of the Kabužić Brothers (Caboga): 1426–1433, (Belgrade, 1999), City Life in Serbia and Bosnia (XIV-XV centuries) (Belgrade, 2007), Medieval Srebrenica: XIV-XV centuries (Belgrade, 2010), La Serbia et Les pays Serbes: L’économie Urbaine: XIVe–XVe siècles (Belgrade, 2012).
With her multifaceted and extensive scientific work, she greatly contributed to the development of national historical science, particularly medieval studies.
She is the recipient of the Veselin Masleša Award, the 27th of July Award of Bosnia and Herzegovina for science, as well as the Vladimir Ćorović Award for life achievement (2002).