“The united Yugoslavian Nation has not been formed”: Croats and Serbs of the Habsburg Monarchy in the Works of Scientists of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract

This article examines the history of research conducted by scholars at the Institute of Slavic (and Balkan) Studies (USSR / Russian Academy of Sciences) concerning the 19th-century nation-formation processes among the Croats and Serbs of the Habsburg Monarchy. The focus is on the contributions of prominent scholars such as S. A. Nikitin, I. S. Miller, V. I. Freidzon, and T. M. Islamov. S. A. Nikitin emphasized that the emergence of a nation requires not only a unified “national market” but also a shared “national consciousness,” which he considered essential for a “national culture.” V. I. Freidzon expanded upon I. S. Miller’s theory regarding the significance of statehood traditions and a national “core,” highlighting how Croats and Serbs utilized the concept of “historic rights” to independence alongside arguments rooted in natural law. Both V. I. Freidzon and his follower S. A. Romanenko underscored the role of religion in the consolidation of the Croatian and Serbian nations. The article also addresses the intellectual debates between scholars: while V. I. Freidzon and I. V. Churkina focused on the “periphery” of the Kingdom of Hungary where these groups resided, T. M. Islamov analyzed these regional processes from the perspective of the “center.”

Received: 08.12.2025.
Revised: 16.02.2026.
Accepted: 17.03.2026.

Citation
Dronov A. M. “The united Yugoslavian Nation has not been formed”: Croats and Serbs of the Habsburg Monarchy in the Works of Scientists of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 423–456 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.24