Nationhood and Politicization of History in School Textbooks

"This book offers a comprehensive and thoroughly researched analysis of politicization of history in school textbooks in South-East Europe. It successfully combines primary empirical research with valuable theoretical insights and in this way provides a unique comparative look at new states that have emerged after the break-up of  the Yugoslav federation."—Siniša Malešević, University College Dublin, Ireland
"This book is not only necessary readings for student in South East Europe after the break-up of Yugoslav federation, it also offers important insights about the rise of populism and nationalism in various parts of the world. Anyone who is interested in countries that are perpetually in a state of  “frozen conflict” can learn much about the cultural and social mechanisms behind conflict, and develop pro-active methods of protecting human rights by reading this insightful and thoroughly researched book."—Idil Eser, Former General Secretary of AI Turkey 
This book explores how school history textbooks are used to perpetuate nationalistic policies within divided regions. Exploring the ‘divide and rule’ politics across ex-Yugoslav successor states, the editors and contributors draw upon a wide range of case studies from across the region. Textbooks and other educational media provide the foundations upon which the new generation build understanding about their own context and the events that are creating their present. By promoting nationalistic politics in such media, textbooks themselves can be used as tools to further promote and preserve ongoing hostility between ethnic groups following periods of conflict. This edited collection will appeal to scholars of educational media, history education and post-conflict societies.  

Gorana Ognjenović is Research Fellow at the University of Oslo, Norway. 

Jasna Jozelić is a PhD candidate at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, Norway. ​