published in: Radovi: Historija, historija umjetnosti, arheologija, 2018 (5), p. 173-188.
The article examines how medieval tombstones, known as stećci, are represented in history textbooks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country with an ethnically divided educational system. The study highlights the fragmented and ideologically driven portrayal of stećci across textbooks tailored to Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian curricula. These tombstones, a significant part of the region's medieval heritage, are often presented selectively, with varying emphasis on their historical and cultural value depending on the national narrative. The author raises critical questions about their definition, distribution, number, ornamentation, and ownership to explore the consistency and inclusiveness of textbook content.
Analysis reveals that while current textbooks show improvement compared to the more overtly ideological versions from the 1990s, issues of bias and selectivity persist. Some textbooks provide excessive detail, while others omit crucial information, reflecting different criteria aligned with nationalistic goals. For example, discussions on the origin and ownership of stećci often reflect attempts to frame them within a specific national or religious context, rather than as a shared cultural heritage. This selective representation diminishes their potential to serve as a unifying historical symbol, despite their recognition by UNESCO as an inter-confessional and culturally significant legacy.
The author argues that presenting stećci as a collective cultural-historical value requires a shift in educational priorities. This includes adhering to Bosnia and Herzegovina's educational framework, which emphasizes respect for diversity, mutual understanding, and shared heritage. Greater inclusion of social and cultural history in curricula, coupled with interpretations based on universal human values, could transform stećci from a tool of division into a symbol of unity and shared identity across the region's diverse communities.
Read the publication here.
[Information provided by Ana Radakovic]
