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11 - Public education and social reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2010

By
Sarah Warshauer Freedman ,
Dinka Corkalo ,
Naomi Levy ,
Dino Abazovic ,
Bronwyn Leebaw ,
Dean Ajdukovic ,
Dino Djipa  and
Harvey M. Weinstein
Edited by
Eric Stover  and
Harvey M. Weinstein
Sarah Warshauer Freedman
Affiliation:
Professor of Education and Research Fellow of the Human Rights Center, The University of California, Berkeley, USA
Dinka Corkalo
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, The University of Zagreb, Croatia
Naomi Levy
Affiliation:
Graduate student in the Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Dino Abazovic
Affiliation:
Member of the Faculty of Political Sciences and Director of the Center for Human Rights, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bronwyn Leebaw
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of California, Riverside, USA
Dean Ajdukovic
Affiliation:
Professor of Psychology and Director of the Postgraduate Psychology Program, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Dino Djipa
Affiliation:
Research Director of Prism Research, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Harvey M. Weinstein
Affiliation:
Associate Director of the Human Rights Center and Clinical Professor of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Eric Stover
Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley
Harvey M. Weinstein
Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley
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Summary

Throughout history, governments of all political stripes have used history and literature curricula to reinforce national ideologies and identities. The promulgation of official memory through the school system can be an effective form of propaganda. The educational setting can become a conduit for the government or leaders' views, presenting political ideas and beliefs as either “correct” or “incorrect.” Textbooks and curricula can be used to justify or deny past state crimes, create revisionist history, present on-going injustices as natural, or perpetuate attitudes that replicate the conditions under which injustices are committed. Where school systems remain segregated and unequal, education can be manipulated to perpetuate inequalities that are a legacy of past conflicts, dispossession, or repression.

If public education can function to inflame hatreds, mobilize for war, and teach acceptance of injustice, it can be used also as a powerful tool for the cultivation of peace, democratic change, and respect for others. This premise has been a prominent focus of the United Nations (UN) Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), as well as numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) throughout the Balkans and in conflict zones around the world. If children living in divided societies can come together in the schools, this contact can be used to help them question the prejudices and stereotypes in their surrounding environment.

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Chapter
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My Neighbor, My Enemy
Justice and Community in the Aftermath of Mass Atrocity
 , pp. 226 - 247
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2004

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  • Public education and social reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia
    • By Sarah Warshauer Freedman, Professor of Education and Research Fellow of the Human Rights Center, The University of California, Berkeley, USA, Dinka Corkalo, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, The University of Zagreb, Croatia, Naomi Levy, Graduate student in the Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, USA, Dino Abazovic, Member of the Faculty of Political Sciences and Director of the Center for Human Rights, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bronwyn Leebaw, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of California, Riverside, USA, Dean Ajdukovic, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Postgraduate Psychology Program, University of Zagreb, Croatia, Dino Djipa, Research Director of Prism Research, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Harvey M. Weinstein, Associate Director of the Human Rights Center and Clinical Professor of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA
  • Edited by Eric Stover, University of California, Berkeley, Harvey M. Weinstein, University of California, Berkeley
  • Book: My Neighbor, My Enemy
  • Online publication: 05 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511720352.015
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  • Public education and social reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia
    • By Sarah Warshauer Freedman, Professor of Education and Research Fellow of the Human Rights Center, The University of California, Berkeley, USA, Dinka Corkalo, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, The University of Zagreb, Croatia, Naomi Levy, Graduate student in the Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, USA, Dino Abazovic, Member of the Faculty of Political Sciences and Director of the Center for Human Rights, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bronwyn Leebaw, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of California, Riverside, USA, Dean Ajdukovic, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Postgraduate Psychology Program, University of Zagreb, Croatia, Dino Djipa, Research Director of Prism Research, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Harvey M. Weinstein, Associate Director of the Human Rights Center and Clinical Professor of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA
  • Edited by Eric Stover, University of California, Berkeley, Harvey M. Weinstein, University of California, Berkeley
  • Book: My Neighbor, My Enemy
  • Online publication: 05 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511720352.015
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Public education and social reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia
    • By Sarah Warshauer Freedman, Professor of Education and Research Fellow of the Human Rights Center, The University of California, Berkeley, USA, Dinka Corkalo, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, The University of Zagreb, Croatia, Naomi Levy, Graduate student in the Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, USA, Dino Abazovic, Member of the Faculty of Political Sciences and Director of the Center for Human Rights, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bronwyn Leebaw, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of California, Riverside, USA, Dean Ajdukovic, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Postgraduate Psychology Program, University of Zagreb, Croatia, Dino Djipa, Research Director of Prism Research, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Harvey M. Weinstein, Associate Director of the Human Rights Center and Clinical Professor of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA
  • Edited by Eric Stover, University of California, Berkeley, Harvey M. Weinstein, University of California, Berkeley
  • Book: My Neighbor, My Enemy
  • Online publication: 05 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511720352.015
Available formats
×