History of Kosovo – in the history textbooks of Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia

128 Pages·2016·1.83 MB·English

The History of Kosovo
in the history textbooks of
Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia
Publisher:
Alter Habitus
Author:
Shkëlzen Gashi
Proof reader:
Gazmend Bërlajolli
Consultants:
Albana Rexhepaj
Arbër Vokrri
Armanda Hysa
Translated by:
Elizabeth Gowing
Front cover design and typesetting:
Rrota
www.rrota.com
Print:
Night Design

Prishtinë 2016
Number of copies printed:
400
Research and publication supported by:
The Embassy of the Netherlands, the Embassy of Switzerland, Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS),
and Institute “Georg Eckert”
The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute “Alter Habitus”, the
Embassy of the Netherlands, the Embassy of Switzerland, or the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS),
or the consultants.
CONTENTS
Introduction .....................................................................................................................................................................................................5
1. The origins of the Albanians ..............................................................................................................................................................9
Summary ...................................................................................................................................................................................................17
2. Kosovo from the Medieval period to Serbian rule .................................................................................................................21
Summary ....................................................................................................................................................................................................26
3. Medieval Kosovo during Serb rule ................................................................................................................................................31
Summary ....................................................................................................................................................................................................39
4. Kosovo under Ottoman rule .............................................................................................................................................................45
4.1 From Gjergj Kastriot-Skanderbeg to the Albanian National Awakening ..............................................................46
Summary ....................................................................................................................................................................................................56
4.2. The Albanian national awakening .........................................................................................................................................60
Summary ....................................................................................................................................................................................................67
5. Kosovo under Serbian rule 1912-2000 ......................................................................................................................................73
5.1. Kosovo 1912-1913 .......................................................................................................................................................................74
Summary ....................................................................................................................................................................................................77
5.2 Kosovo between the two World Wars 1918-1939 .........................................................................................................81
Summary ....................................................................................................................................................................................................85
5.3. Kosovo in Yugoslavia 1945 – 1990 .......................................................................................................................................90
Summary ....................................................................................................................................................................................................98
5.4 Kosovo during the 1990s ........................................................................................................................................................103
Summary .................................................................................................................................................................................................108
BIBLIOGRAFIJA .........................................................................................................................................................................................117

INTRODuCTION
This analysis considers the representation of the history of Kosovo - from
ancient times to today - in the textbooks of the primary schools and high
schools of Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. The
textbooks used to compile this report are those of the publishing houses Libri
Shkollor (Prishtina), Albas (Tirana), Zavod za Udžbenike (Belgrade), the Unit
for textbooks and learning materials (Podgorica) and Prosvetno Dello and
Tabernakul (Skopje).
The history textbooks of these five countries, approved by their respective
ministries of education, served as the main sources for the report. The descriptions
in these historiographical texts are compared, and their similarities and differences
identified. International authors such as Noel Malcolm, Oliver Schmitt, Peter
Bartl, and Stephen Schwartz, who have covered the developments and events in
Kosovo in a range of periods, are juxtaposed with relevant information.
The report deals with the most important periods of Kosovo’s history, drawing
attention to the discrepancies between the historical accounts in question, as
well as to the respective falsifications of each party. In an indirect way the report
also reveals what kind of relations with their neighbours the governments of
each of the countries is suggesting to the younger generation who are being
educated with these textbooks. The report aims to reveal, in a way that is as
clear and evidence-based as possible, the basis for the often competing claims
between the peoples who come up against one another in Kosovo, and for this
reason it is being published in Albanian, Serbian and English.
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This report is aimed at the authors of school history textbooks from Kosovo,
Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia and then to the representatives of
the respective ministries of education who give permission for the textbooks’
publication, but also to policymakers and to primary and high school history
teachers themselves. It will also be useful for anyone who is interested in the
issues dealt with here.
Finally I want to thank all those who have contributed to this report in different
ways and at different times. Most importantly, the donors: the Embassy of
the Netherlands and particularly Ambassador Robert Bosch, the Embassy
of Switzerland and the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS) and
particularly Luan Shllaku. Heartfelt thanks also to the Georg Eckert Institute
in Germany and particularly to Claudia Lichnofsky for their support during
my two four-week stays with them. Likewise a wholehearted thankyou to the
publisher of this report, the Alter Habitus Institute and especially Eli Gashi.
For their comments, advice, suggestions and very useful recommendations I
also offer thanks to Albana Rexhepaj, Arbër Vokrri and Armanda Hysa, who
bear no responsibility for my mistakes; and also to Gazmend Bërlajolli for
the linguistic edit; I thank Elizabeth Gowing for the fluent translation into
English and Anton Berishaj for doing the same in Serbian; for design and
typesetting I thank Rrota, and in particular the designers Arbër Matoshi and
Ardian Veliu.
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