Debates of Historians from the Countries of the Former Yugoslavia on the Declaration «Defend History» (2020)

Abstract

The Declaration «Defend History» (published on June 13. 2020) became an important manifesto in the field of public history and politics of history. The discussions and conflicts associated with it articulated both global and pan-European trends in relations with the past, as well as the peculiarities of the regional situation. The Declaration denounces historical revisionism as the manipulation of the past for narrow political and nationalistic purposes. It also contains recommendations on how to discourage such practices. The publication of the Declaration, paradoxically, expanded the field of hybrid attacks against its supporters with selective use of the principles stated in it. This danger is particularly evident in ethnically divided Bosnia and Herzegovina, where history is so often seen as a continuation of politics (or war) «by other means». The expected decrease in the level of discussion with the growth of public resonance is intensified by the conditions of the new information environment. However, the controversial role of «new media» and their impact on society remained outside the attention of the authors of the Declaration.