The centuries-old tradition of mining in Mežica was significantly shaped during the period between 1921 and 1939 by the British company The Central European Mines Ltd., which obtained ownership of Mežica mine and thereby became a major economic force in its town. During this period, the British managers of the mine moved to Mežica and, through their involvement in local politics, ensured that mining as well as export of raw materials and capital was uninterrupted. The political engagement of certain local residents, including the teacher and ethnologist Vinko Möderndorfer, defended the interests of the local population and made the work of the mining capitalists more difficult. My master’s thesis examines Mežica as a British mining colony on the basis of theories of Colonialism, Orientalism, Balkanism, and Collective memory, as well as secondary literature and two semi-structured interviews conducted with local residents, whose memories contribute to the understanding of the British migrants in Mežica during the first half of the twentieth century. The findings of the thesis support the interpretation of Mežica as a former mining colony with a certain degree of deviation from the classical definition of colonialism and by interpreting Mežica within the context of Balkanism. Furthermore, the thesis identifies a need for further research into such deviations through the study of other former “mining colonies” in the Balkans.
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