SLIKA ZAVNOBiH-a U BOSANSKOHERCEGOVAČKIM UDŽBENICIMA HISTORIJE (1945 – 2013)
THE PORTRAYAL OF ZAVNOBiH IN THE HISTORY TEXTBOOKS OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (1945-2013)

Summary/Abstract: Apart from their primary function in the relaying of knowledge, school textbooks were often used as means of propaganda with the aim of raising the young generations in the spirit of the worldview, ideology and values determined by the contemporary social and political context. Considering that the dominant ideology and politics are reflected in the contents of the textbooks, this paper attempts to use the portrayal of ZAVNOBiH in order to question the political function of textbooks, i.e. in which way did history textbooks of various educational systems on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1945 to the present day portray and interpret the three sessions of the Regional Anti-FascistCouncil for the People’s Liberation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1943- 1945). Regardless of the importance of this event for the building of the statehood of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was differently valued through the contents of textbooks. The different interpretations, the emphasis or the complete negation of its importance of the three sessions of ZAVNOBiH in the different social and political systems shows that the interpretation of ZAVNOBiH changed together with the changes in the historical circumstances and political necessities. The textbook portrayal of ZAVNOBiH, along with a clear ideological and political motivation, passed the road from occasional mentions until the 1970-ies when it was insisted that the Second Session of AVNOJ be marked as the key event for the constituting the federal organization of the post-war Yugoslavia, through its highlighting and the emphasis of its statehood character from the 1970-ies when republican identities were being strengthened, until its importance was emphasized in the 1990-ies, above all in the textbooks written by Bosniak authors who insisted on the statehood character of ZAVNOBiH in the context of recently accomplished independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This trend was motivated not only by the general need of proving the statehood of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which certain political currents constantly deny, but rather by the necessity to legitimize the new political elites. Depending on the fact from which part of Bosnia and Herzegovina the textbook stems from, the statehood character of ZAVNOBiH completes a full circle, from its prominence to the complete ignorance of the event. The ignorant attitude towards ZAVNOBiH can be found in the textbooks used in the educational system of Republic of Srpska and the educational system of cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina which are mostly populated by Croatian population. Through the contents of textbooks ZAVNOBiH is not analysed in the sense of the building of Bosnian and Herzegovinian statehood but in the context of the establishment of popular government during the Second World War when only the date and the place where it was held are mentioned.

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