The Order of Njegoš Commendation

On January 9th, 2016, the National Day of the Republika Srpska was celebrated in Washington, DC. This national commemoration was established by the Parliament of Banja Luka in 1992 on January 9th, St. Stefan’s Day, designated as the official day of celebration. For twenty-four years the national day of the Republika Srpska has been celebrated throughout the Republika and abroad by diplomatic and other official entities as well as by private citizens, supporters, and friends.

The Washington, DC celebration brought together a large international gathering in honor and recognition of Republika Srpska. This special occasion was further enhanced by the presentation of official commendations on behalf of the president of the Republika Srpska, Mr. Milorad Dodik. Four individuals and one organization were recipients of awards commending their work and leadership in the promotion of Serbian contributions on an international level through the arts and sciences.

Among those given awards, Mr. Obrad Kesić, Director of the Republika Srpska Office for Cooperation, Trade and Investment in Washington DC, presented the Order of Njegoš of the Second Degree to the North American Society for Serbian Studies. The commendation was accepted with deepest appreciation by the editors of Serbian Studies, the journal of the North American Society for Serbian Studies.

NASSS was established in 1980. Originally, the founders held individual membership in the North American Association for Slavic Studies, which by 1980 welcomed organizations representing specific Slavic national groups. NAASS is now the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES), and the North American Society for Serbian Studies continues as one of its member groups. Representing diverse interests, its members are actively involved through their various professions in advancing the study and understanding of Serbia, past and present. A major vehicle of communication that addresses an international audience is the Society’s journal, Serbian Studies. Contributors to the journal are scholars, geographically dispersed on three continents but bound by a commonality of goals and interests.

In the context of its founding and its thirty-six years of work devoted to Serbia, the selection of the North American Society for Serbian Studies as recipient of the Njegoš Decoration of the Second Degree not only provides meaningful recognition but serves as encouragement and inspiration for the society’s continued contributions.