DR
Dejan Ristić
Serbia
Minister, Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia
Description
**Dejan Ristić** (born April 20, 1972, in Belgrade) is a historian and one of the leading experts in the field of integrated protection and management of cultural heritage. He has held numerous significant positions, including Director of the National Library of Serbia, Director of the Museum of Genocide Victims, State Secretary for Culture, and many others.
He specializes in diplomatic history (Serbian-British and Serbian-French relations at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries; Yugoslav-Algerian relations since 1954), the Holocaust, the relationship between the state and traditional religious communities in the 20th century, cultural history, and the culture of remembrance.
Ristić is the author of numerous academic papers and books, including the acclaimed monograph *"The House of Fireproof Words: The National Library of Serbia 1838–1941"*, which inspired the documentary film *"Memories from the Ashes"* produced by Film News.
He has translated several significant works, including Prof. Ian Kershaw’s *"Hitler: Hubris 1889–1936"* and *"Hitler: Nemesis 1936–1945"*, Prof. Susan Wise Bauer’s series on ancient history (*"The History of the Ancient World: The First Civilizations"*, *"The First Empires"*, and *"The First Transformations"*), the two-volume *"History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade"*, and Prof. Philip K. Hitti’s *"Makers of Arab History"* (as co-translator).
He has participated in numerous international academic and professional conferences in cities such as Belgrade, London, Trondheim, Jerusalem, Vienna, The Hague, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Bratislava, Prague, Moscow, Oslo, Helsinki, Brussels, Leuven, Luxembourg, Haifa, Liechtenstein, Bucharest, Ljubljana, and others. He has also attended specialized training in Jerusalem and London in public administration and Holocaust studies.
Ristić co-authored Serbia’s national exhibit *"Military Memorials and Sites of Suffering from World War II"*, which won the first prize at the 2011 International Exhibition "Memorial" in Moscow. He also contributed to exhibitions such as *"Peter I Karađorđević – King and Warrior"* (Topola, 2011) and *"Remember Me for I Am No More"* (Belgrade, 2011).
He coordinated the preparation of nomination dossiers for UNESCO's World Heritage Lists, including Serbian intangible cultural heritage, the Austro-Hungarian war declaration telegram of 1914 (as movable cultural heritage), and stećci (medieval tombstones, as immovable cultural heritage).
During his tenure at the National Library of Serbia, Ristić prioritized the protection and enrichment of the national library fund, professional development, publishing activities, and enhancing international library cooperation. He introduced a model of the national library as a multifunctional cultural institution. Under his leadership, the National Library of Serbia received numerous accolades, including the Order of Sretenje (2nd class), the Extraordinary Gold Link Award, the Belgrade City Award for the best book in the field of humanities in 2012, and recognitions at international book fairs in Belgrade and Podgorica. He also initiated the legal framework for the academic mandatory copy system.
He established National Book Day and the National Award for Librarianship named after Janko Å afarÃk. He founded the National Library of Serbia Foundation and the Museum of Genocide Victims Foundation. During his tenure as Director of the Museum of Genocide Victims (2021–2024), he undertook a complete reorganization of the institution, leading it through a comprehensive transformation. Under his leadership, the museum’s collections were significantly enriched with thousands of valuable historical and material artifacts documenting the suffering of Serbs during World War II, particularly the genocide carried out by the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). The museum also published dozens of academic studies, organized numerous exhibitions in Serbia and abroad (France, China, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro), hosted over 100 educational programs, and produced several documentary films.
He is credited with discovering the list of Serbian children saved during Diana Budisavljević’s humanitarian operation and Directive No. 25, in which Adolf Hitler ordered the invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia on March 28, 1941. These documents are preserved at the Museum of Genocide Victims.
Ristić has received various honors, including the Matica Srpska Seal, the Ministry of Defense Commemorative Medal, the Golden Badge of the Cultural and Educational Association of Serbia, a Certificate of Gratitude from the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade, a plaque from the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade, and recognitions from the National Museum of Serbia, the Museum of Science and Technology, Film News, and others.
He is married and the father of two children.
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