Disputed Histories Collection of history text-books from countries derived from the ex-Yugoslav federation released in different time periods*. Istorije u raspravi Biblioteka udzbenika iz istorije sa teritorije drzava bivsih clanica SFRJ iz razlicitih vremenskih perioda*. 

It turns out that students at schools in former Yugoslav countries learn histories that are quite different from those learnt by generations only few decades ago. In addition, these histories aren't just different from the earlier ones, when there was just one version of history studied by everyone, a single "truth" that couldn't be questioned or compared - now the histories of the newly formed countries offer a variety of “truths” on the way that certain historical events have taken place. Each one (of the countries descended from Yugoslavia) seems to have picked up the account of their rights in relation to the (re)constitution of the national state from their own particular point of view and the "true" explanation of what really happened.

Meanwhile, on the European continent, basically the opposite process is taking place in relation to the same issues - the formation and expansion of the Union of European countries towards Federalsim and economic and political power is inseperable from the need to adjust fundamental rules and principles of participating countries in relation to each other, and also the search for a new trans-national European identity based on citizenship.

We could say that in on the European continent we are bearing witness, in a way, to two opposite tendencies in politicial terms: a tendency towards uniting national countries and another to dismembering the federation to national entities. This logically leads to opposite tendencies, which will be used to conceive and form the collective identities of these different ideas of political systems. One will be oriented towards citizenship, the other towards nationality.

So, confronted with these processes of political reconstallations and reconfigurations of European states, which lead to the need to reconsider the collective identities (of its inhabitants) either as citizens or nationals, the idea of the official historic account requires revisions and modifications.

It’s more or less accepted that, to a certain extent, educational content is proofed by the current policies of the state of which they form part of the institutional architecture. In our culture, the moment when children start school is an initiation rite into society, where the future citizens of a particular state will be shaped. In reality it's hard to say with any certainty how much of our own identity is generated as a result of our own relationship with our environment and our experience, and how much is due to a shared, collective identity that was engineered and imposed by current political doctrines. To what extent are the deciscions we make and the things we do our own, carried out in total liberty? And to what extent are they supplied by a broader national identity, without our awareness?

In short, there is a set of questions we can ask ourselves around these issues: How is the collective history of a people written, and what parameters are used? To what extent is there a description of real events, and in what way is it educated by the demands of the current state’s policy? To what extent is a national identity engineered and to what extent is it generated?

Do we really need to establish concensus on the existence of a single truth? Or, alternatively, can we can consider that the single truth doesn't exist and that it cosists of different points of view in a "Rashomnic ” manner? And, finally, to what extent does the historical account, establishing a collective identity (natioinal or cititzen identity), play a part in the construction of our own personal identity, and end up affecting our personal histories?

The Disputed Histories Library is a collection of text-books from primary and secondary schools, that have been in use in different time periods on the territory of ex-Yugoslavia. The purpose of starting this library was for it to be accesible to the general public, so as to inspire series of workshops, discussions and new projects. Until now it was avaible in Youth Center Crna Kuca in Novi Sad, on Spaport Bienalle in Banja Luka, in Knjizara of CZKD in Belgrade and in the NGBK Gallery in Berlin.

Danas ucenici osnovnih i srednjih skola regiona bivse Jugoslavije izucavaju stiva istorije prilicno razlicita od onih koja su se ucila samo nesto vise od jedne decenije unazad. I ne samo to sto se te istorije razlikuju od prethodnih, kada je bila u opticaju samo jedna verzija istorije koja je svima bila referentna, jedna ‘istina’ koja nije mogla biti podvrgnuta preispitivanju ni poredjenju, vec sada istorije aktuelnih drzava nude nepristrasnom posmatracu jedan varijetet ‘istina’ o nacinu na koji su se istorijski dogadjaji u regionu odvijali, cesto upadavsi u kontradikcije jedne sa drugima. Svaka od njih, novonastalih suverenih drzava, izgleda da je preuzela svoje pravo da sa re-konstitucijom nacionalne politike preispita i resituira svoju posebnu tacku gledista i da ’verodostojnu’ verziju toga sto se i kako u proslosti zapravo dogadjalo. I iz tih perspektiva ,na primer, Jugoslovenski period cesto je smatran interupcijom u pravolinijskom razvoju nacionalnih drzava.

Za to vreme po istim pitanjima na evropskom kontinentu odvija se jedan proces usmeren u drugom pravcu. U politickom smislu sirenje i konstituisanje Evropske Unije ka “federalnom” modelu dolazi sa novim zahtevima za normalizacijom i utvrdjenjem fundamentalnih principa medju zemljama clanicama, cime se takodje namece i jedna potraga za novim trans-nacionalnim, pan-evropskim identitetom koji se sada bazira na gradjanstvu. Shodno ovim tendencijama u politici, koje ce se svaka na svoj nacin projektovati na nastavne programe, definisace se i dve oprecne tendencije u formiranju kolektivnih identiteta zitelja ovih regiona - dok ce se prva bazirati vise na gradjanskom principu druga ce teziti ka nacionalnom.

U nasoj kulturi prosvetitelstva momenat kada mladi prirastaji polaze u skolu obelezava inicijacijski ritual pristupanja u drustvenu zajednicu. Pored roditelja skola ce postati vrhovni autoritet koja ce imati funkciju da oblikuje mladog coveka, pripremajuci ga za zivot. Medjutim, vise, manje, vec je opsteprihvacena ideja da su u skolskom sistemu gradiva drustvenih materija barem jednim svojim delom indoktrinirana, obojena aktuelnim politickim ambicijama doticne drzave, u kojoj i cine temeljni deo institucionalne arhitekture. Cak sta vise kako izgleda, aktuelna situacija je da se ovi nastavni programi koriste kao mocna alatka za rekonstrukciju nacionalne svesti “izmucene neuspelim pokusajem bratstva i jedinstva”. Medjutim koliko su takvi stavovi bili stetni za devedesete dobro nam je poznato, a koliko su mogu biti stetni za buducnost samo mozemo naslutiti.

Specificnije u tom pogledu mozemo postaviti citavu seriju pitanja: Kako i sa kojim parametrima se pisu istorije jednog naroda i vezuju za odredjenu teritoriju? U kojoj meri istorija predstavlja nepristrasni opis minulih dogadjaja a koliko se nalazi uslovljena svojom funkcijom koju treba da ispunjava u aktuelnom politickom kontekstu? Kojim delom se generise i kojim inzenjerira jedan kolektivni identitet (narod / nacija)? Da li je zaista neophodno uspostavljanje koncenzusa oko jedne jedine istine? Ili upravo obrnuto, moze li se smatrati da ne postoji samo jedna istina, vec da se ona komponuje od razlicitih verzija ustanovljenih sa razlicitih tacaka gledista. i na kraju, na koji nacin ofocijelni istorijski tekst, vrseci uticaj na formiranje kolektivnog identiteta igra ulogu u konstrukciji nasih pojedinacnih licnosti i okoncava determinisuci nase privatne istorije?

Biblioteka 'Istorije u raspravi' kolekcija je udzbenika istorije osnovnih i srednjih skola koji su u razlicitim vremenskim periodima bili u opticaju na teritoriji bivse Jugoslavije. Ideja formiranja ove biblioteke je da bude dostupna konsultaciji i da sluzi kao materijal za organizovanje radionica, diskusija, projekata koje bi mogla inspirisati. Do sada biblioteka je bila otvorena za konsultaciju u Omladinskom centru Crna Kuca u Novom Sadu, na Bienalu Spaport u Banja Luci, u Knjizari CZKD-a, u Galeriji NGBK u Berlinu.

Vol.1 Our Newest Hysteria
Research on last 50 years history as it is explained in text-books from Republika Srpska, Bosnian Federation, Croatia and Serbia
Vol.01 Nasa najnovija Histerija
Kompilacija udzbenika istorije 8ih razreda osnovne skole Rep. Srpske i FBiH, Hrvatske i Srbije, rezultat radionice,
SPAPORT, Banja Luka

Vol.2 Migrations and Expulsions
A comparative analisys of data relative to displacement of population during '90ies war in Yugoslavia, based on history text-books of former Yugoslav states and Germany.
Vol.2 Migracije i proterivanja
Komparativna analiza podataka izlozenih u vezi migracija i proterivanja stanovnistva za vreme Jugoslovenskih ratova '90ih, baziranih na udzbenicima istorije zemalja bivsih clanica Jugoslavije i Nemacke.

Vol.2 Private histories
In order to present themselves participants have been asked to draw and explain their private histories.
Vol.02 Privatne istorije
Da bi se predstavili ucesnici radionice su pitani da nacrtaju i objasne svoje licne istorije.

Vol.3 Istina / Everteta
Comparative analysis of Kosova and Serbian history text-books.

Komparativna analiza kosovskih i srpskih udzbenika istorije.

Vol.3 Personal timeline
In order to present themselves participants have been asked to draw and explain their private histories.
Vol.02 Personalne istorije
Da bi se predstavili ucesnici radionice su pitani da nacrtaju i objasne svoje licne istorije.