Montenegro textbook controversy over Serbian identity

A controversy has emerged in Montenegro regarding a new fifth-grade social studies textbook, ‘Poznavanje društva’, which reportedly omits Serbs from its sections on nations and minorities.

Critics, including United Montenegro official Vladimir Dobričanin, have raised alarms that the omission attempts to erase Serbian identity from the younger generation. Dobričanin has called on the Montenegrin Ministry of Education to address what he describes as “historical and social falsifications,” noting that while various national minorities are listed, Serbs are entirely absent.

In Serbia, Miloš Vučević, an advisor to the President of Serbia for regional issues, condemned the publication as a “shameful move” and a “shameful edition.” He accused Montenegrin authorities of attempting to falsify the reality that approximately 33 percent of Montenegro's population identifies as Serbian, arguing the curriculum targets children and attacks Serbian cultural and spiritual identity.

The dispute has expanded into broader debates regarding Montenegrin historical identity and political rights. While some, such as historian Vukota Vukotić, emphasize a unique national identity shaped by Romanic and Slavic influences and the medieval state of Duklja, political friction persists. Commentators highlight a tension between the concept of a civic state and the rights of the Serbian population to maintain a distinct political and cultural identity, with figures like Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić serving as focal points for those advocating for the recognition of the Serbian community.