The Network of Concerned Historians thirtieth Annual Report, published on August 5th, 2024, is a stark reminder of the urgent need to address the intersection of history and human rights. This Report, which covers events and developments in 2023 and 2024, highlights the pervasive issue of historical censorship and the persecution of historians, archivists, and archaeologists in 111 countries. It is a call to action, spanning 149 pages (download here).
I’m copying the part of the Report about the ban on my textbook:
On 8 December 2023, the Ministry of Science and Education announced the removal of the history textbook “Why Is History Important? 4,” edited by historian Miljenko Hajdarovic and published by Profil Klett, from its catalog of officially approved textbooks for use in primary and secondary schools. The textbook was unanimously approved in an unchanged version by the ministerial authorization committee in May 2021 and had been in use in the final grade of high school since the 2021–2022 year. In a press release, the ministry said that the textbooks did not sufficiently follow the official history curriculum: it gave interpretations of historians about historical events rather than teaching the history of humanity through six officially prescribed concepts; it contained historical maps with incorrect information; it did not adequately explain specific primary historical sources and the accompanying questions were not well formulated; it contained many suggestive questions and photographs that led students to wrong conclusions, especially in the chapter about the creation of the modern Republic of Croatia, its multi-party system and the Homeland War (1991–1995); it contained incorrect facts and data, as well as wrong interpretations of historical processes. However, the statement did not mention any specific examples.
The decision to remove the textbook came after an online vilification campaign of the three textbook authors and their publisher, and a series of critiques in the conservative media outlet narod.hr – characterized by the main fact-checking organization Faktograf in 2022 as a platform that spread “incorrect information.” The publisher, the authors, some historians, organizations and a member of parliament asked the Education Ministry to publish the full findings that led to the removal. This was reportedly the first case of a history textbook ban in Croatia since 1996.
