The importance of dealing with the past, deconstructing existing narratives, and building new perspectives through critical reflection not only makes history teaching more relevant and inspiring but also emphasizes the lesson we must learn from studying the 1990s: to guard against extremism and fake news. This was one of the key conclusions of the three-day workshop Museum of the 90s – A new approach to learning, organized by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) in Podgorica from 21 to 23 November 2024. The event brought together 10 historians, sociologists, philosophers, and researchers from Montenegro and Serbia involved in the Museum of the 90s project. Participants had the opportunity to connect and explore modern teaching methods that encourage critical thinking, investigation, and analysis of historical events from multiple perspectives, while also developing skills to promote multiculturalism, truthfulness, and diverse viewpoints in education.
The workshop included practical work through model sessions with high school students in Montenegro, providing participants with hands-on experiences applicable in classroom settings. The goal was to strengthen pedagogical capacities and contribute to creating an educational community that fosters a better understanding of and education about the 1990s, encouraging dialogue and reconciliation among youth in the region.
During the workshop, Aleksandar Milovanović, a junior researcher at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade, presented findings from focus groups conducted in Belgrade and Novi Sad, along with preliminary results of a survey. “One key finding is that young people lack sufficient knowledge of historical facts from the 1990s. Additionally, their feelings about this period are mixed – positive emotions are linked to culture, resistance, and change, while they are also aware of the negative consequences the 1990s left behind,” said Milovanović. He emphasized the need for education on these events tailored to young people’s interests and always through critical reflection. “It is important for young people to understand the broader context of these events – why the conflicts occurred, the political and historical situation in Yugoslavia before the 1990s, and the global context of that period. Workshops like these are valuable as they facilitate knowledge exchange, which leads to adopting new perspectives and cognitive decentering,” he added.
“Educational workshops like Museum of the 90s provide an excellent opportunity for historians from Montenegro and Serbia to exchange opinions, interpretations, and approaches to topics for which there is no still no consensus. Our society continues to feel the consequences of the war events in the former Yugoslavia, making such workshops immensely important for all historians. Addressing recent historical events that still affect the present, must be done carefully, objectively and thoroughly. That is why I found the exchange with educators particularly valuable, as transferring this knowledge to younger generations from diverse backgrounds is both a challenging and necessary task,” said Jana Vlahović, historian and journalist from Montenegro.
”The Museum of the 90s was launched by the Cultural Center Grad in Belgrade with the goal of collecting, preserving, and systematizing diverse testimonies and sources crucial for understanding and studying the last decade of the 20th century in post-Yugoslav states. This concept inspired the exhibition Labyrinth of the 90s. Sources and materials were collected from the archives of anti-war activists and various civil society organizations active during the 1990s,” explained Andrijana Vlahovljak, a history teacher and collaborator on the Museum of the 90s project. She noted that the exhibition debuted in Belgrade in 2023 and later, in an expanded format, in Sarajevo in 2024. “The museum and exhibition serve an informative, research, and educational function, making them a suitable ‘classrooms outside the school’ for learning about the 1990s. Therefore, the concept and role of the exhibition were introduced to Montenegrin teachers, announcing its arrival in Podgorica in spring 2025,” she said.
“The history of the 1990s is remains underrepresented in education, and programmes dedicated to this topic are highly significant, especially when historians from the region collaborate. This allows for the exchange of practical teaching experiences,” said history professor Jelena Vlaović. She added that one of the main challenges lies in the lack of a harmonized narrative about the 1990s across the former Yugoslavia. “Events are often interpreted from a national perspective, creating confusion not only among students but also among teachers,” she stressed.
Lidija Županić Šuica, president of the NGO Education for the 21st Century and a professor of visual arts, along with Maja Keskinov, a philosophy teacher and project manager, presented methods for using monumental heritage as a foundation for outdoor education, emphasizing the development of competencies for democratic culture. “It is important to highlight how exploring local heritage can be a dynamic educational tool for fostering critical thinking and an analytical approach. Workshop participants learned how to connect teaching with local cultural heritage, challenge entrenched stereotypes, and enhance skills needed to understand complex historical narratives,” said Županić Šuica.
Vukan Ražnatović, historian and director of the King Nikola Museum in Cetinje, highlighted a key lesson from studying the 1990s: the importance of guarding against extremism and fake news. “Media manipulation, which began in the late 1980s and peaked in the 1990s, created xenophobic social groups that viewed ‘the other’ as a threat to their survival – even though ‘the other’ was often the same people with whom they had built a country during war and better societies and families during peace,” he explained. Ražnatović emphasized the value of regional experience exchange. “A perspective from another angle always allows us to consider aspects we might overlook. In Montenegro, we tend to focus on Dubrovnik siege, the anti-war movement, sanctions, and split within the DPS, as well as, more recently, war crimes. Colleagues from the region, where the situation was far more complex, offer insights into the processes that divided their societies, whose consequences are still visible today,” he added.
“The 1990s are a fascinating topic for research, with a wealth of sources, but breaking down prejudices and overcoming strong emotions remains a challenge for historians. This is why it is crucial to discuss this topic more, organize meetings of historians, teachers, and students, exchange experiences, encourage research, and publish findings and results,” said Vladimir Simić, a history teacher in a high school in Belgrade.
The three-day workshop Museum of the 90s – A New approach to learning is part of the project Museum of the 90s – Regional Center for Reconciliation, Education, and Future Cooperation, implemented by CCE from Montenegro and the Cultural Front from Serbia, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. This workshop is additionally supported by the French Agency for International Technical Cooperation (Expertise France).
Maja Marinović, Programme Associate