Population of Belgrade as a Focus of Political and Administrative Interest in the mid-19th Century

Vuletić, Aleksandra and Delić, Nino (2018) Population of Belgrade as a Focus of Political and Administrative Interest in the mid-19th Century. In: Belgrade: 1521–1867. Zbornik radova, knj. 38= Collection of Works, vol. 38 . The Institute of History : Yunus Emre Enstitüsü : Turkish Cultural Centre, Belgrade, pp. 327-346. ISBN 978-86-7743-132-7

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Abstract

Based on data on the demographic structure and movements in the Serbian capital dating back to the mid–19th century, contemporary literature contains the most important data about the population of Belgrade in 1815–1867, but without a significant focus on the context in which those data were created. Our interest in this paper concerns primarily the historical and social context in which the first data on demographic capacities of Belgrade appeared in the mid–19th century. Shifting the focus from “dry” demographic data to the background of their appearance enables us to gain insight into a broader historical picture of the time. The collection, analysis and presentation of data about the population of Belgrade were one of the first examples of incorporating contemporary scientific knowledge and administrative methods according to the Western European model in the autonomous Serbian state. The first analyses of the demographic structure of Belgrade and comparisons with analogous data from other European cities showed a demographic “deficit” of the Serbian capital compared to the capitals in the region. Presentation of those data was to serve the function of improving population management policies, so that the observed lag behind European cities be overcome as soon as possible. The categorisation of population made at the time (based on ethnic, religious, professional affiliation etc.) reveals the first social divisions in the capital. The exemption of the Turkish part of the population from the competence of Serbian authorities and roundabout ways in which they obtained data about the number of Turkish inhabitants testify to the existence of two parallel worlds in Belgrade in the mid–19th century – Serbian and Turkish

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