АРЧИБАЛД РАЈС: Живот, реч, наслеђе

Abstract

During the First World War, Serbia was visited and stayed by a large number of foreigners who, on behalf of the Allies of the Entente, had the task of helping Serbia or conveying the situation in it. This is how many paramedics, doctors, journalists, and criminologists found themselves in Serbia. It was one of the last who left the deepest mark, and that was Rodolphe Archibald Reiss.

Rodolphe Archibald Reiss was a German and Swiss criminologist and forensic scientist. From 1914 he lived and worked in Serbia, where he remained until his death in 1929.

Reiss has been written about the most in recent decades, immediately after the publication of his written work “Listen Serbs!”. It is on the basis of this work, as well as other writings and research that speak about the life and work of Archibald Rice, that the thematic collection Archibald Reiss: Life, Word, Heritage which was prepared by Andrijana Lazarević and Dušan Radujko, together with a group of scientists.

Why is the Collection different from everything that has been written about the Swiss criminologist so far?

By offering a detailed review of the literature on his life and work, in their work, Stefan Radojković and Siniša Vulić lay the foundation for further understanding of Archibald Reiss role. Moreover, their work contributes to the foundation of the other works in the collection, showing the research tradition to which they join. Andrijana Lazarevic and Ljiljana Kolarski go further and focus on the diplomatic contribution of Archibald Rice, looking at his career through the prism of bilateral relations between Serbia and Switzerland. Milica Topalović and Jovan Berić use a survey and qualitative analysis to investigate the degree of agreement of respondents with Rice’s different views. Andrea Matijević and Nenad Spasojević are engaged in extremely interesting research, the degree of familiarity of students with the character and work of Archibald Rice. What knowledge do they come to?

A man who remained dedicated to truth and justice until the end of his life, devoted himself to describing the character of the Serbian people. In terms of gender equality, Rice was the most conservative. He not only believes that the role of women is determined by nature, but denies the need for their higher education, because it takes away their femininity and the ability to create children and a family. Do the citizens of Serbia agree with this statement?

How Rodolphe Archibald Reiss is communicated in the media and answers to many other questions can be found in the unique collection that goes beyond the superficial and offers readers a deeper, scientific approach.

“Here in this urn, on top of Kajmakčalan,

a golden heart sleeps,

“A friend of the Serbs from the most difficult days,

a Hero of Justice, Truth and Right,

Swiss Rice, to whom be the glory.”