Joint History Project: Phase II

At the heart of the ‘Joint History’ project lies the wish to change the way history is taught in schools across the Balkans, and therefore create a better atmosphere for reconciliation and trust-building among the nations. The partner organization, Center for Democracy and Reconciliation, already started with the project in 1999. Until now, the project engaged hundreds of history teachers and experts in an exercise to find a methodology of writing a common history for Southeast Europe. Until now, CDRSEE managed to finish two circles of production phase (the first books/circle was dealing with the history of Southeast Europe from the Balkan wars in 1912 until World War II; while the second cover the period from World War II until 2008).

Now in phase two of the project the two books cover the Cold War and the transition in Europe, including the wars of the 1990s. According to the CDRSEE, “Nothing is taboo – the new chapters will include everything from the political face and prepression, to the crises of the 1970s and the 1980s, the disintegration of Yugoslavia, over to the experience of market economies and globalization.”

The second phase of the Joint History Project was launched in 2016 with the support of FES Dialogue SOE. The two new books that have been published where the first four left off. They encompass multiple perspectives, starting workshops bringing together some 88 teachers who compared and discussed different curricula throughout the region. The first launch event took place in Brussels at the European Parliament at the end of 2016.

The publications are available under these links:

Volume 1: The Cold War (1944-1990)

Volume 2: Wars, Divisions, Integration (1990-2008)