Exclamations of Sincere Enthusiasm:
The Ephemeral Spectacle and the Journey of King Alexander and Queen Draga Obrenović through Serbia in 1901
Miloš Timotijević
ORCID: 0000-0002-0457-6125
Aleksandar Marušić
Publication type: Scholarly monograph / historical study
Edition: Serbian edition with English summary
Language: Serbian
Additional content: English summary
Publisher: Narodni muzej Čačak; Muzej rudničko-takovskog kraja
Place of publication: Čačak; Gornji Milanovac
Country: Serbia
Year of publication: 2025
Extent: 298 pages, illustrated
Indexes (accompanying material): Ana Ranković Mihajlović; Mirjana Mokrovčak Glišić; Vesna Ćurčić
Photographers: Saša Savović; Ivan Jovanović; Marko Bojović
Translator (summary): Ksenija Dunjić
Reviewers: Igor Borozan; Suzana Rajić; Ana Stolić
ISBN: 978-86-82700-11-1
DOI: https://doi.org/10.65627/nmuc_uio.2025
License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Abstract
This monograph investigates the journey of King Alexander I and Queen Draga Obrenović through Serbia in 1901 as a form of ephemeral spectacle and symbolic political communication within a period of dynastic crisis and changing public sentiment. Drawing on archival research, contemporary press, and visual sources, the study situates this royal tour within the broader context of Serbian political culture on the eve of the May Coup of 1903.
Using concepts from performance theory and symbolic interactionism, the authors analyze how public ceremonies and official receptions were orchestrated to reinforce royal legitimacy and shape popular perceptions. The book examines the structure and symbolism of these events, tracing their political and social functions across central and western Serbia.
The study demonstrates that the 1901 tour was a strategic deployment of public spectacle aimed at strengthening dynastic authority and mobilizing symbolic forms of political participation.
Keywords:
symbolic politics; monarchy; Obrenović dynasty; political ritual; public spectacle; Serbia; 1901; cultural history
Suggested Citation:
Timotijević, Miloš, and Aleksandar Marušić.
Exclamations of Sincere Enthusiasm: The Ephemeral Spectacle and the Journey of King Alexander and Queen Draga Obrenović through Serbia in 1901.
Čačak; Gornji Milanovac: Narodni muzej Čačak; Muzej rudničko-takovskog kraja, 2025.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.65627/nmuc_uio.2025