Summary: | In this paper we deal with ethnically diverse categories of residents of the
Duchy and the Kingdom of Serbia in national censuses conducted between 1834
and 1910, with an accent on those conducted from 1862 - the period when
official state statistics institutions were established. We do not deal
foremost with numbers and statistical analyses, but with censuses as such -
as we consider censuses to be an important instrument in the hands of the
state which has the power to count, delineate and categorize the population.
In this paper we give special attention to the relationship between the
census officials and (ethnic) minorities: when and in what measure the
interest in counting and documenting “others” emerges in Serbia, how they are
categorized, which terms are used for minorities as such or various groups
specifically, and how the data on these is interpreted. From this a certain
image emerges - an image of the relationship between the state and ethnic
“others”. This research displays a prominent tendency in this historical
period to view minorities not as an integral part of the state and society,
but as an alien, foreign body in it. Also, the meaning of the existence of
ethnically diverse groups is often minimized, due to their alleged small
numbers. Even though valid conclusions on the position of minorities in the
state and society would require more thorough research and more sources, we
consider the way in which ethnically diverse groups of citizens were treated
in state censuses as very indicative in this sense.
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