Sima Avramović ( sr, Сима Аврамовић / Sima Avramović) (b. 1950) is a Serbian university professor, author on the subjects of

comparative law Comparative law is the study of differences and similarities between the law (legal systems) of different countries. More specifically, it involves the study of the different legal "systems" (or "families") in existence in the world, including the ...

legal history Legal history or the history of law is the study of how law has evolved and why it has changed. Legal history is closely connected to the development of civilisations and operates in the wider context of social history. Certain jurists and histo ...

, law and religion,

Roman law Roman law is the law, legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (c. 449 BC), to the ''Corpus Juris Civilis'' (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor J ...

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

and Ambassador of Serbia to the

Vatican City State Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

. Prof. Avramović served as Dean of the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-b ...

Faculty of Law A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...

from 2012 until 2018. He was also President of the University of Belgrade's Senate.

Biography

Sima Avramovic was born in Belgrade,

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

, on July 19th 1950. He graduated from the

University of Belgrade Faculty of Law The Faculty of Law of the University in Belgrade ( sr, Правни факултет Универзитета у Београду/''Pravni fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu''), also known as the Belgrade Law School, is one of the first-tier educatio ...

in 1973. Avramovic extensively serves as a distinguished lecturer at leading universities in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. His past academic assignments include the following: President of the Commission for the University of Belgrade

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

Follow Up, President of the Statutory Commission of the University of Belgrade, Member of the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...

/Office for Democratic Institutions and

Human Rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

Panel of Experts,

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the '' Belgrade Law Review'', Member of the Universities’ of Serbia Conference, Member of the Section for Sources of Serbian Law at the

Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Serbica, sr-Cyr, Српска академија наука и уметности, САНУ, Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, SANU) is a national academy and the ...

, President of the Center for Cooperation among Religious Communities, President of the Society for

Roman Law Roman law is the law, legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (c. 449 BC), to the ''Corpus Juris Civilis'' (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor J ...

and Classics ''

Forum Romanum The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum ( it, Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient ...

'', President of the Alan Watson Foundation, and he led the Center for Oratory ''Institutio oratoria''. In addition, Avramovic is the founder of the monthly bulletin of the University of Belgrade's Law School (

Acta Diurna ''Acta Diurna'' (Latin: ''Daily Acts'', sometimes translated as ''Daily Public Records'' or poetically as ''Daily Gazette'') were daily Ancient Rome, Roman official notices, a sort of daily gazette. They were carved on stone or metal and presented ...

). He is also an editorial board member for the Journal of

Matica Srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Матица српска, Matica srpska, la, Matrix Serbica, grc, Μάτιτσα Σρπσκα) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national inst ...

for

Classical Studies Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

, and the European Lawyer Journal. Avramovic holds the

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degree from the University of Belgrade. In 1984, he was a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

. He speaks

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, French,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

and Serbian, and knows two

classical languages A classical language is any language with an independent literary tradition and a large and ancient body of written literature. Classical languages are typically dead languages, or show a high degree of diglossia, as the spoken varieties of the ...

–

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

. Avramović was one of the candidates of the

Serbian Progressive Party The Serbian Progressive Party ( sr-cyrl, Српска напредна странка, Srpska napredna stranka, SNS) has been the ruling political party of Serbia since 2012. Founded by Tomislav Nikolić and Aleksandar Vučić in 2008 as a s ...

for the Assembly of the City of

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

in 2018. In 2021 he was appointed the Serbian ambassador to the

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

Legal scholarship

Avramovic has over one hundred books and articles to his credit. Selected scholarship includes the pioneering books Rhetorike Techne (2008), State-Church Law in Serbia (2007), Comparative Legal Tradition (2006), Аrs Rhetorica (2002), General

Legal History Legal history or the history of law is the study of how law has evolved and why it has changed. Legal history is closely connected to the development of civilisations and operates in the wider context of social history. Certain jurists and histo ...

(2001), The Court Speeches of

Isaeus Isaeus ( el, Ἰσαῖος ''Isaios''; fl. early 4th century BC) was one of the ten Attic orators according to the Alexandrian canon. He was a student of Isocrates in Athens, and later taught Demosthenes while working as a ''metic'' logographer (s ...

and the Law of Athens (1988), Early Greek Law and the Code of Gortyn (1977), Evolution of

Testamentary A testator () is a person who has written and executed a last will and testament that is in effect at the time of their death. It is any "person who makes a will."Gordon Brown, ''Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates'', 3d ed. (2003), p. 556 ...

Freedom in

Ancient Greek Law Ancient Greek law consists of the laws and legal institutions of Ancient Greece. The existence of certain general principles of law is implied by the custom of settling a difference between two Greek states, or between members of a single state, ...

(1981), Foundations of Modern

Democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...

, Selected Declarations and Charters on

(1989). Recent articles include “Searching for the New Law on

Religious Freedom Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

in Serbia” (

European Academy of Sciences and Arts The European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA, la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea) is a transnational and interdisciplinary network, connecting about 2,000 recommended scientists and artists worldwide, including 37 Nobel Prize laure ...

, Weimar 2006), “Simulation of Athenian Court – A New Teaching Method” in the Balkans Law Review (2006), “The Rhetra of Epithadeus and Testament in Spartan Law” ( Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2005), et al. His book

Ars Rhetorica Aristotle's ''Rhetoric'' ( grc, Ῥητορική, Rhētorikḗ; la, Ars Rhetorica) is an ancient Greek treatise on the art of persuasion, dating from the 4th century BCE. The English title varies: typically it is titled ''Rhetoric'', the ''Art ...

was proclaimed as Book of the Year 2002 ( F.R.Y. Official Gazette Award) and he received the prestigious Italian award Premio romanistico internationale “Gérard Boulvert” for the Italian translation of the book Court Speeches of Isaeus and the Law of Athens.

Selected works

*''Rano grčko pravo i Gortinski zakonik'', Belgrade, 1977, 217 *''Evolucija slobode testiranja u antičkom grčkom pravu'' (PhD thesis), Belgrade, 1981, 384 *''The Quantitative Analysis of the Computerised Data Bank on Disposition in Case of Death in Ancient Greek Law,'' University of Maryland, College Park 1984, 90 (Library of Congress Reg.No. TXY 84-170-582). *''Isejevo sudsko besedništvo i atinsko pravo,'' Naučna knjiga, Belgrade, 1988 (1991), VIII+266; Službeni list SRJ, Belgrade, 2000 (2005), 270. *''Temelji moderne demokratije, Izbor deklaracija i povelja o ljudskim pravima'', Nova knjiga, Belgrade, 1989, 237 (p.. 13-25, 47-57, 75-83, 97-103, 111-119, 125-133). *''Sto pedeset godina Pravnog fakulteta 1841-1991,'' Faculty of Law, Belgrade. 1991, 196, co-author *''Pravna istorija Starog veka,'' Službeni list SRJ, Belgrade. 1992, 138. *''Osnovi retorike i besedništva,'' Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva, Belgrade. 1993 (1999), 182, co-author with dr Obrad Stanojević *''Opšta pravna istorija, I deo,'' Dosije, Belgrade. 1994 (1995, 1996, 1998), 159. *''Iseo e il diritto attic'', Jovene editore, Napoli 1997, 294. *''Opšta pravna istorija - Stari i Srednji vek'', Dosije, Belgrade. 1999, 363 (2000, 2001). *''Ars rhetorica – veština besedništva'', Sl. list SRJ, Belgrade. 2002, (2003), 529, co-author with dr Obrad Stanojević *''Opšta pravna istorija - Stari i Srednji vek'', Nomos, Belgrade. 2003 (2004), 239. *''Opšta pravna istorija – Novi vek'', Nomos, Belgrade. 2004, 87. *''Uporedna pravna tradicija'', Nomos, Belgrade. 2006, 319, co-author with V. Stanimirović *''Prilozi nastanku državno-crkvenog prava u Srbiji (State-Church Law in Serbia)''. Faculty of Law, Faculty of Orthodox Theology and JP Službeni glasnik, Belgrade. 2007, 250. *''Rhetorike techne – veština besedništva i javni nastup'' Službeni glasnik, Edicija Pravnog fakulteta '' Retorika'', Belgrade. 2008, 526. *''Uporedna pravna tradicija'', Faculty of Law, 2009, 341, co-author with V. Stanimirović *''Kako da postanem pravnik – uvod u studije prava'', co-author with Z. Mirković, Belgrade. 2010, 141. *''The Predicament of Serbian Orthodox Holy Places in Kosovo and Metohia - Elements for a Historical, Legal and Conservational Understanding, co-author, Belgrade. 2010. *''Temelji moderne demokratije, Izbor deklaracija i povelja o ljudskim pravima'' (koautorski, izmenjeno i dopunjeno izdanje), Zavod za udžbenike, Belgrade. 2011, 548 (17-30, 119-128, 147-154, 172-177, 191-198, 353-359). *''Primenjena retorika – 20 godina takmičenja u besedništvu'', Belgrade. 2014, 188. *''Rhetorike techne – veština besedništva i javni nastup'', Službeni glasnik, Dosije, Faculty of Law, Belgrade. 2018, 545 *''Konflikt und Koexistenz. Die Rechtsordnungen im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert'', Bd. II ''– Serbien Bosnien-Herzegowina'', ''Albanien,'' „The Serbian Civil Code of 1844: a Battleground of Legal Traditions“, Max-Planck-Institut für europäische Rechtsgeschichte, Frankfurt am Mein 2017, 379-482, autor poglavlja u knjizi

External links

Personal Website of Professor Sima Avramovic

Sources

(in Serbian)

References