Sociological analysis of socio-pathological phenomena in Svetozar Marković’s work “Serbia in the East”
Abstract
In 19th-century Serbia, on the eve of modernization processes, a critical voice emerged pointing to the social, political, and moral deviations of the new order. One of the most significant representatives of this perspective was Svetozar Marković. His work Serbia in the East represents a political and sociological treatise, but also a sharp critique of the injustices and dysfunctions of Serbian society after its liberation from the Ottoman rule. The aim of this paper is, through the application of content analysis and a sociological theoretical framework, to systematize the socio-pathological phenomena described in the work and to present Marković’s reform proposals and vision of social transformation. The analysis shows that his insights remain relevant today, serving as a framework for understanding systemic deviations and the need for ethical responsibility.
References
Čalić, M. Ž. (2004). Social History of Serbia 1815–1941. Beograd: Clio. [In Serbian]
Durkheim, É. (1972). The Division of Labor in Society. Beograd: Prosveta. [In Serbian]
Jovanović, S. (2009). Political Ideas in 19th-Century Serbia. Novi Sad: Matica srpska. [In Serbian]
Marković, S. (1872/2010). Serbia in the East (facsimile edition). Beograd: Dereta. [In Serbian]
Marković, S. (1872). Serbia in the East. Novi Sad: Serbian Literary Cooperative. [In Serbian]
Marković, S. (1975). Principles of Political Economy, or The Science of National Welfare. Beograd: Nolit. [In Serbian]
Marx, K., Engels, F. (1946). The Communist Manifesto. Beograd: Kultura. [In Serbian]
Marx, K. (1947). Capital, Vol. I. Beograd: Kultura. [In Serbian]
McClellan, W. (1964). Svetozar Marković and the Origins of Balkan Socialism. Slavic Review, 25 (1), 162–164. Princeton: Princeton University Press. DOI:10.2307/2492664. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/slavic-review/article/abs/woodford-d-mcclellan-svetozar-markovic-and-the-origins-of-balkan-socialism-princeton-princeton-university-press-1964-pages-xi-308-750/C87FF18F153CAE9459CB77251F3519F1
Merton, R. K. (1979). On Theoretical Sociology. Zagreb: Naklada CDD. [In Serbian]
Milošević Šošo, B. (2018). Personal interest or benefit – a need of a contemporary man. Sociološki pregled, 52 (3), 832–856. DOI:10.5937/socpreg52-18714.
Perović, L. (1985). Serbian Socialists of the 19th Century. Book Two: The Ideas and Movement of Svetozar Marković. Beograd: Rad. [In Serbian]
Skerlić, J. (1910). Svetozar Marković: His Life, Work and Ideas. Beograd: Geca Kon. [In Serbian]
Copyright (c) 2026 Sociološki pregled
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.