HISTORY TEXTBOOKS AS AND SOURCE OF SERBO-ALBANIAN CONFLICT: AN ALBANIAN POINT OF VIEW
HISTORY TEXTBOOKS AS AND SOURCE OF SERBO-ALBANIAN CONFLICT: AN ALBANIAN POINT OF VIEW

Summary/Abstract: The contents of school texts play an important role in the education of every new generation, but if the information the schoolchildren are receiving is distorted by nationalist propaganda or is politically coloured, the books in question can perpetuate ethnic conflicts, limit familiarity with the values and thinking of the other side, and impede opportunities to construct a better, common future. An analysis of history texts published in Serbian that deal with the Kosovo issue reveals that both the past and present are being wrongly transmitted. From the time of its establishment in 1999, the UN administration worked closely with international agencies and made great strides in including and integrating all the minority communities in education. It is apparent that the education system in this part of the Balkans is veiled in strong nationalist colours that are impeding the integration of the Serbian community into the education system of Kosovo. This paper endeavours to show how Serbian history texts present the present and past of Kosovo and of the Albanians. It offers information about the role that school texts can play in integration and co-operation, and in the development of the Balkans. It also highlights the great differences that exist between various history textbooks. The divergence of information presented to young people is making it difficult for the peoples of the Balkans to integrate, to work together and to develop as a region.

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