20th Century History in the Textbooks of Bosnia and Herzegovina: An analysis of books used for the final grades of primary school

Abstract

This analysis investigates whether selected history textbooks approved for the school year 2007/08 in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) meet the contemporary standards stipulated by the Guidelines for writing and evaluation of history textbooks for primary and secondary schools in BiH1, which themselves were inspired by modern, European, textbook practices and trends. The investigation also compares selected history textbooks published before the adoption of the Guidelines, to provide a before-and-after comparison. The analysis covers seven history textbooks for the 8th and 9th grades of primary school, dealing mainly with the events of the 20th century.