ARCHIBALD RICE: Life, Word, Legacy

Rudolf 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. Most of the writings about Reiss have been done in recent decades, immediately after the publication of his written work “Hear, 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 Reiss, that the thematic collection Archibald Reiss: Life, Word, Legacy was compiled, prepared by Andrijana Lazarević and Dušan Radujko, together with a group of scholars.

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 the role of Archibald Reiss. Moreover, their work contributes to the foundation of the other papers in the collection, showing the research tradition they join. Andrijana Lazarević and Ljiljana Kolarski go further and focus on the diplomatic contribution of Archibald Reiss, viewing 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 various Reiss positions. Andrea Matijević and Nenad Spasojević conduct an extremely interesting study, the degree of familiarity of students with the figure and work of Archibald Reiss. What insights do they gain?

A man who remained dedicated to truth and justice until the end of his life, he devoted himself to describing the character of the Serbian people. Regarding gender equality, Reiss was the most conservative. He not only believes that the role of women is determined by nature, but also denies the need for their higher education, because it deprives them of femininity and the ability to create children and a family. Do the citizens of Serbia agree with this statement? How the media communicates about Rudolf Archibald Reiss and answers to many other questions can be found in the unique Collection that goes beyond superficiality and offers readers a deeper, scientific approach.

“Here in this urn, on the top of Kajmakcalan, a golden heart sleeps. A friend of the Serbs in the most difficult days, a Hero of Justice, Truth and Law, the Swiss Reiss, to whom be glory.”