EN
The article considers the problem of modernization of the traditional society on the example of the Ottoman Bosnia in the 'epochs of the reforms'. The author analyzes the ethnic and religious composition of the province, its structure and strength. The author studies the relationship between the reforming the traditional institutions of the Ottoman Bosnia and the transformation of consciousness, the search for religious and ethnic identity of its inhabitants, their interaction with neighboring ethnic groups. The change in the essence of the notion of 'self' took place against the backdrop of 1850-70 social and cultural changes.