Report about my stay in Braunschweig – Erika Bozzato
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Name
Erika Bozzato
Time of the stay in Braunschweig
08.01-05.02.2014
Topic and aim of the project
Title: The construction of Kosovo´s national history in fifth grade history textbook.
Scope of the paper is to compare two different Kosovo Albanian history textbooks, the first
issued in 1994 during the parallel system and the second in 2012 (approved by the Ministry
of Education, Science and Technology in 2007). The analysis will focus on discourses and
representations connected to the construction of Kosovo´s ‘national history’ in fifth grade
textbooks. In particular I am interested in analysing what topics and actors are included and
highlighted within the ‘national history’ and how Kosovars´ ancestors’ image is constructed
and what relations are created with population of present Kosovo concerning some relevant
aspects, such as education, socialisation, culture, lifestyle, economic activities, space and so
forth. Second aim of the research is to unveil (unequal) power relations embedded in the
textbooks, identifying domination and marginalization of social actors, as well possibilities of
overcoming them. This will allow having a clearer view on the concept of history as taught
subject in Kosovo, and what role it may play in the relation among different communities.
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Aim of your stay and research at Georg Eckert Institute
Aim of my stay at GEI was on one side to carry out the data collection for the paper and set
up my data for the following analysis, on the other to read extensively over history textbooks
in South Easter Europe, with particular attention to Identity construction and Kosovo.
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Work during your stay at GEI
The work was then divided in three sections. Besides that, I got involved in all the activities
that were organized by the Institute during my stay (especially those carried out in English
language).
Data collection: during my stay I could benefit from GEI library, where I was able to find the
textbooks for my analysis. The two books selected are:
o Rexhepi, Fehmi and Demaj Frashër (2012). Historia 5. Prishtina: Libri Shkollor (and
related workbook)
o Vilson Kuri, Bardhyl Graceni, Astrit Bishqemi, Roland Gjini (1994) Të njohim
historinë e popullit tone 4. Pristina: Enti i texteve dhe i mjeteve mësimore i
Kosovës.
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Set up of data analysis:
The analysis is being carried out following Fairclough´s Dialectical Relational Approach
version of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). CDA is especially interested in social analysis of
the discourse, which is complex and therefore requires a multi-disciplinary and multimethodical approach, and allows analysis of long-term social transformation. Texts are being
analysed from different points of view, considering linguistic and extra-linguistic features.
They will be considered in fact as semiotic element of broader social practices and their role
within these is going to be determined through analysis. This methodology will allow
embedding the textbook analysis in a broad context. Images and layout of the textbooks will
be equally part of the analysis, and complete it.
Literature review:
GEI library was especially useful during the first phase of the paper drafting, as it include a
lot of volumes specialized on the topic.
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Aleksić, T. (2007). Mythistory and narratives of the nation in the Balkans, Newcastle:
Cambridge Scholars, 2007.
Bideleux, R. (2007). The Balkans: a post-communist history, London: Routledge.
Couroucli, M. (1997). The Balkans - ethnic and cultural crossroads: educational and cultural
aspects, Sofia (Bulgaria), 27 - 30 May 1995; democracy, human rights, minorities: educational
and cultural aspects, Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publ.
Danova, N., School textbooks and national stereotypes in the Balkans in the nineteenth
century.
Dogo, M. (2002). Disrupting and reshaping: early stages of nation-building in the Balkans,
Ravenna: Longo.
Duka, V. (2006). Regional history in textbooks: the Albanian case. In: In search of a common
regional history: the Balkans and the East Asia in history textbooks (2006), pp. 43-50.
Koulouri, C. (2002). Clio in the Balkans: the politics of history education, Thessaloniki: Center
for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe.
Lenkova, M. (1998). "Hate speech"·in the Balkans, Athens: ETEPE.
Pavlowitch, S. (2000). A history of the Balkans, 1804 – 1945, London: Longman.
Roudometof, V. (2001). Nationalism, globalization, and orthodoxy: the social origins of ethnic
conflict in the Balkans, Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
Segesten, A. (2008). History textbooks in the Balkans: representations and conflict. In: The
poetics of memory in post-totalitarian narration (2008), pp.139-153
Simoska, E., General problems in the history textbooks of the Balkans.
Todorova, M. N. (1997). Imagining the Balkans, New York: Oxford Univ. Press.
The Balkans : traditional patterns of life, Wien : Verein für Geschichte und Sozialkunde, 1999.
Besides that, I could consult papers in various journals, such as Südost-Europa, Curriculu
series and so on.
Other activities: attendance of GEI colloquium and Stammtisch, partial attendance of Cost
Workshop.
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Preliminary results
During my stay at GEI I worked on the following paragraphs (Paragraphs´ titles are not
definitive):
Education in post-conflict context – focus on the Balkans
The paragraph focuses on the concept of the two faces of education, and on how
crucial it is the analysis of education in the context of identity-based conflicts.
History textbooks in the Western Balkans and the construction of national history
This part tackles the issue of history textbooks in the Western Balkans and in Kosovo,
delineating some common features and some main issues, such as their nationbuilding project through (history) education, the representation of ‘self’ and ‘other’,
the description of wars and conflict and so forth.
History teaching and history textbooks in Kosovo since the 1970s
The section analyses the development of the (history) curriculum in Albanian
language since the 1970s, especially referring to the constitutional reforms in the
1970s, the parallel system in the 1990s and the actions undertaken after the conflict
in 1999, by UNMIK and then Kosovo Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Some space is also given to teaching methodologies.
The construction of Kosovar identity
The paragraphs include two parts. The first part tackles the general nationhood issues
in former Yugoslavia, with particular attention to the restrain of the political
nationalism during Communism and the rise of post-Communism nationalism and
how these two elements may be connected.
The second part focuses on Kosovo, digging on the articulation of the Albanian
nationhood from the 1970s on, focusing in particular on the parallel system.
Critical Discourse Analysis and power relations – theoretical background and methodology of
analysis
This section focuses on the benefits that CDA can offer in such an analysis, as it can
provide a good insight on processes and factors involved in social transformations.
The analysis starts with the analysis of the context of textbooks productions and goes
then to the linguistic and visual aspects of the textbooks.
Data
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The paragraph describes in details the two textbooks object of analysis, especially
focusing on the historical and political circumstances from which they derive and on
their authors
Results
At the moment, the external appearance of the two books has been described, their
structures and part of the visual content.
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Scheduled progress of the work
The full paper will be sent by 30th June for the anthology of the GEI conference on textbooks
in Albanian language (held in Pristina in November 2013).
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Remarks of your stay in Braunschweig
I found GEI library an optimal place to carry out my research work, also combined with the
accommodation in the guest-house, which allows intensive and smooth working days. I only
wished GEI staff was closer to the library, in order to be able to discuss and exchange ideas
more frequently.
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