Challenging Divisions Through Teacher Education and History Teaching: The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Larisa Kasumagić-Kafedžić University of Sarajevo - Faculty of Philosophy, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Lejla Mulalić University of Sarajevo - Faculty of Philosophy, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Keywords: ethnocentric education, stereotypes and prejudice, history teaching, teacher education, education for peace

Abstract

Educating teachers to teach language, culture and history in a post-conflict country such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is still deeply divided and fragmented, implies enormous social and moral responsibilities. These endeavours represent continuous challenges where the processes of healing the wounds in such vulnerable situations, so deep and irreparable, are discussed and contextualised within the long-term social recovery in which the education of children and young people takes on a primary transformative role. The present paper examines the education policies and divisions in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the past twenty years, which reflect the segregation, politicisation and fragmentation in the post-war society. It also focuses on the role of educators in teaching for peace, antidiscrimination and intercultural understanding by addressing the issues of social exclusion, injustice, prejudice, privilege and violence across the curriculum. It problematises the construction and representation of historical and cultural knowledge, which is usually ethnocentric in orientation. Special emphasis is placed on the role of universities, i.e., university teachers and teacher educators, in promoting critical thinking and universal humanistic values among students in Bosnia and Herzegovina in general, and those studying at the English Department, University of Sarajevo, in particular. Drawing on the theories and resources of critical and intercultural pedagogy and peace education, the paper explores the possibilities of discussing stereotypes and prejudice with first-year BA students at the English Department within their Introduction to British Studies course, and with MA student teachers within their Interculturalism in Language Education course, which deals with peacebuilding and intercultural sensitivity in teaching English from a cultural perspective.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abrams, F. (2020, July 14). Is the curriculum dividing Northern Ireland’s schools along Troubles lines? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jul/14/is-the-curriculum-dividing-northern-irelandsschools-along-troubles-lines

Aliu, J., & Kaçaniku, F. (2023). An Exploration of teacher leadership: Are future teachers ready to lead?. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 13(4), 37–62. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1634

Bekerman, Z., & Zembylas, M. (2017). Mediating collective memories and official histories in conflict-affected societies: Pedagogical responses to “individual” narratives and competing collective memories. In H. Å. Elmersjö, A. Clark, & M. Vinterek (Eds.), International perspectives on teaching rival histories (pp. 133–155). Palgrave Macmillan.

Clarke-Habibi, S. (2018). Teachers’ perspectives on educating for peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Journal of Peace Education, 15(2), 144–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/17400201.2018.1463209

Crookes, G. (2010). The practicality and relevance of second language critical pedagogy. Language Teaching, 43(3), 333–348. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444809990292

Duthie, R., & Ramírez-Barat, C. (2018). Introduction: Addressing the educational legacies of human rights violations. In C. Ramírez-Barat, & M. Schulze (Eds.), Transitional justice and education: Engaging young people in peacebuilding and reconciliation (pp. 17-42). V&R unipress.

Forić-Plasto, M., & Blagojević-Dujković, B. (2023). Peace in history education of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In L. Kasumagić-Kafedžić, & S. Clarke-Habibi (Eds.), Peace pedagogies in Bosnia and Herzegovina (pp. 163–185). Springer.

Gallagher, T. (2022, August 16). Integrated education in Northern Ireland: Why progress is slow despite support. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/integrated-education-in-northern-ireland-why-progress-is-slowdespite-support-187881

Gibney, J. (2017). A short history of Ireland, 1500–2000. Yale University Press.

Giroux, H. A. (2004a). When hope is subversive. Tikkun, 19(6), 38–39. https://doi.org/10.1215/08879982-2004-6027

Giroux, H. A. (2004b). Betraying the intellectual tradition: Public intellectuals and the crisis of youth. In A. Phipps, & M. Guilherme (Eds.), Critical pedagogy: Political approaches to language and intercultural communication (pp. 7–21). Multilingual Matters Ltd.

Giroux, H. A. (2005). Border crossings: Cultural workers and the politics of education (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Giroux, H. A. (2020). On critical pedagogy (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Academic.

hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. Routledge.

Kasumagić-Kafedžić, L. (2017). Exploring challenges and possibilities in pre-service teacher education: Critical and intercultural pedagogy in post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina. In R. Gordon, T. Akutsu, C. J. McDermott, & J. W. Lalas (Eds.), Challenges associated with cross-cultural and at-risk student engagement (pp. 42–62). IGI Global.

Kasumagić-Kafedžić, L., & Clarke-Habibi, S. (2023). Peace pedagogies: A review of key theories and approaches. In L. Kasumagić-Kafedžić, & S. Clarke-Habibi (Eds.), Peace pedagogies in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Theory and practice in formal education (pp. 3–42). Springer.

Kenway J., Boden R., & Fahey J. (2015). Seeking the necessary ‘resources of hope’ in the neoliberal university. In M. Thornton (Ed.), Through a glass darkly (pp. 259–281). ANU Press.

McAlister S., Corr M. L., Dwyer C., Drummond, O., & Fargas-Malet M. (2021). ‘It didn’t end in 1998’: Examining the impacts of conflict legacy across generations. Queen’s University Belfast.

Millican, J. (2018). The social role and responsibility of a university in different social and political contexts. In J. Millican (Ed.), Universities and conflict: The role of higher education in peacebuilding and resistance (pp. 13–28). Routledge.

Murphy, K., & Pettis, S. (2020). Educators’ guide. The choices we made: Bystanding and conflict in Northern Ireland. The Corrymeela Press.

Novelli, M., Lopes Cardozo, M., & Smith, A. (2015). A theoretical framework for analysing the contribution of education to sustainable peacebuilding: 4Rs in conflict-affected contexts. University of Amsterdam.

Pace, J. L. (2019). Contained risk-taking: Preparing preservice teachers to teach controversial issues in three countries. Theory & Research in Social Education, 47(2), 228–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2019.1595240

Perry, V. (2014, October 12). The permanent interim: Bosnia and Herzegovina’s ongoing educational crisis. E-International Relations. http://www.e-ir.info/2014/10/12/the-permanent-interim-bosnia-and-herzegovinas-ongoing-educationalcrisis/

Perry, V. (2015). Countering the cultivation of extremism in Bosnia and Herzegovina: The case for comprehensive education reform. Democratization Policy Council.

Phipps, A., & Guilherme, M. (2004). Critical pedagogy: Political approaches to language and intercultural communication. Multilingual Matters Ltd.

Smith, A. (2010). The influence of education on conflict and peacebuilding. Paper prepared for the Education for ALL Global Monitoring Report 2011, The Hidden Crisis: Armed Conflict and Education. Paris UNESCO.

Smith, A. (2011). Education and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. In J. Paulson (Ed.), Education and reconciliation: Exploring conflict and post-conflict situations (pp. 55–80). Continuum.

Soldo, A., Trbić, D., Husremović, D., Veličković, N., Čelebičić, I., & Ibrahimović, N. (2017). Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina: What do we (not) teach children? Content analysis of textbooks of the national group of subjects in primary schools. Open Society Foundations & proMENTE.

Stradling, R. (2001). Teaching 20th-century European history. Council of Europe Publishing.

UNESCO. (2023). Harnessing intercultural competencies for peacebuilding: Report. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000388190

Published
2024-12-20
How to Cite
Kasumagić-Kafedžić, L., & Mulalić, L. (2024). Challenging Divisions Through Teacher Education and History Teaching: The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 14(4), 81-101. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1889