JHP Athens Conference

Magazine "DUGA"

The Fall of Constantinople
or
The Conquest of Istanbul

Author Biljana Soldatovic

Is it possible to write a history of a region where more than ten languages are spoken that will surpass the history of conflicts and wars?

The Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe with headquarters in Thessaloniki has been working for the last four years on research of the history of Balkan nations and history teaching in schools in the countries of the region. The whole project aims at a different approach to the Balkan history in order to avoid more conflicts and wars in the region.
That was the subject of our conversation with Dr. Christina Koulouri, Professor of Democritus University of Thrace, who has participated in this project from the beginning.

From December 1999 to December of 2000, The Center for Democracy and Reconciliation for Southeast Europe has organised seven workshops to undertake a comparative analysis of history textbooks and history teaching in eleven countries of the region. The results of this analysis have been published in the book 'Clio in the Balkans. The Politics of History Education.'

Dr. Koulouri said that the goal of the project is not to write one common Balkan History. She believes that 'the new history' would not be some kind of new version of history that would replace national histories, but a new way of interpreting historical facts based on a common Balkan cultural inheritance.

There are many examples of different interpretations of the same historical facts in histories taught in the Balkan countries, as is evident, for example, by looking at the presentation of the Balkan Wars in Bulgarian, Greek and Turkish history textbooks. Or one event that is called 'the Fall of Constantinople' in Greek history textbooks, and 'the Conquest of Istanbul' in Turkish history textbooks.

History taught in schools of the region is mostly ethnocentric and does not include the perspective of "the other," whoever that may be in each case. The concept of multiculturalism should be introduced as a way of enriching the approach to history teaching in the Balkans.

The results of the research show that the people in most of the countries of the region are ready to work on the revision of the teaching programmes, although they may come upon a resistance of official politics. Therefore, civilians, intellectuals, and professors must initiate these reforms.

Dr. Koulouri stated that the results of the analysis of history textbooks have to be propagated in all countries of Southeast Europe and particularly among those who make decisions about teaching programmes.

'Balkan countries are at different social, economic and political levels' said Dr. Koulouri, 'that is why we do not know what reactions to expect. However, proper history teaching is a 'long-term investment' and its results are to be seen long after.

'When it comes to reforms of teaching programmes' she said, 'the governments and ministries of education of each country must pull their weight. What we can do, and are doing, is to inform them about our work, the research that we do and its results.