Škorić, Sofija

Sofija Škorić (1937-2022) was a community organizer, librarian, and former Head of the Petro Jacyk Resource Centre at the University of Toronto. She served as Librarian Emerita following her retirement from the institution where she had worked from 1968 to 2002. Škorić was a prominent member of Canada’s Serbian community fighting for the recognition of rights, working to promote connections to Serbia, and staunchly defending the nation’s reputation during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. She was a founding member of the Serbian Heritage Academy (Srpska Nacionalna Akademija), a cultural organization designed around the Yugoslav- and later Serbian-Canadian population. In addition, she founded and served as an executive member of multiple other Serbian-Canadian groups and organizations.

Škorić began her career at UofT as a reference librarian working with Slavic materials after completing a MA at McMaster University in Hamilton. While at UofT, Škorić hosted events and conferences related to the history, culture, literature, and politics of Serbia. This included the 1981 symposium, Democracy and Parliamentarism: The 100th Anniversary of the Serbian Radical Party 1881-1981, where she worked with Gleb Zekulin, Head of the Munk School’s Centre for Eastern European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. Škorić’s dedication to hosting such events connected the University with scholars from across the United States and Europe.

One aspect of Škorić’s work both at the University and beyond focused on promoting a connection to Serbian literature among the Serbian community in Canada and introducing it to an English-speaking audience. She translated key works of Serbian literature, including works by the Serbian poet laureate Matija Bećković, her close friend and confidant, and edited numerous works by other well-known Serbian authors.

Škorić curated and toured “Thank you Canadians! Canadian Medical Missions in Serbia 1914–1918,” an exhibition to commemorate and thank the over six hundred Canadian medical professionals who travelled to Serbia during the First World War to provide care to soldiers and civilians. The exhibit was shown in Canada, the United States, and Serbia, which led to the installation of a permanent plaque at the Museum of Serbian Medicine in Belgrade to commemorate the medical and humanitarian service of those Canadians.

Škorić’s commitment to the Serbian community led to her taking an active role in the founding of numerous diaspora and community groups in Canada and the United States. In 1988, she co-founded the Society of Serbian-Canadian Friendship (now the Serbian Association for Canadian Studies). That same year, she also co-founded the North American Society of Serbian Studies and was this group’s president from 1988 to 1990. From 1991, she served as vice president of the Serbian Unity Congress until its formal closure. In 1996, she founded the publishing house Serbian Literary Company, and in 2003, she founded the lobby organization, Together for Serbia, in Belgrade. The latter organization lobbied for the rights of Serbs abroad, ultimately obtaining the right for the diaspora to vote in Serbia. In addition to these, Škorić was a passionate advocate for the rights of the women and was a founding member and vice-president of the Serbian Women’s Association in Canada. In 1993, with the organization’s assistance, she led a team of prominent Canadian women to Serbia to highlight the experiences of Serbian women during the Yugoslav War.

Sofija Škorić remained actively involved in multiple organizations until the end of her life. She died in Toronto in the summer of 2022.