Nation states tend to shape histories which justify their origin and extent, and develop a shared identity for its citizens. Political, social, economic and technological changes, especially the emergence of modern media, also fashion such ‘imagined communities’ and associated historical narratives.
THE RATIU FORUM HISTORY WORKSHOP
History and Identities
RATIU CENTRE, TURDA, ROMANIA
The Ratiu Forum – a partnership between LSE IDEAS (London School of Economics) and the Ratiu Foundations – hosted the 2025 Teaching of History Workshop on Friday 16th to Sunday 18th May 2025 at the Ratiu Democracy Centre in Turda, Romania. Focusing on History and Identities, this workshop brought together history teachers, relevant policy experts and civil society representatives. The number of participants was limited to 25 selected by invitation through an open call for applications.
Nation states tend to shape histories which justify their origin and extent, and develop a shared identity for its citizens. Political, social, economic and technological changes, especially the emergence of modern media, also fashion such ‘imagined communities’ and associated historical narratives. But these stories about the past, what they cover and what they don’t, may be contested by critical scholarship, by political rivals, by minorities and others who do not share the established vision of the past or what they may see as too narrow a national identity.
Culture wars can develop where pride and shame relating to figures and events in the past become flashpoints around political legitimacy and the distribution of power in the here and now. How can these contested points of view be best presented in history classrooms, in public history and the larger culture, bringing more light than heat to the debate? And what role do the arts have in this – film, TV, painting, literature?
Participants had the opportunity to attend workshops led by John Lotherington, director of the 21st Century Trust in London and prominent History education expert, alongside several other distinguished academics affiliated with prominent institutions, including the London School of Economics, the University of Maynooth, the University of Bucharest, the University of Debrecen, and University of Belgrade.
Applications were open to motivated high-school level History teachers and university students reading for a History degree from Romania, Moldova and Serbia.
We welcomed applicants who wished to engage in a more critical and complex way with difficult aspects of history and to develop their didactic skills.
The selected participants were accommodated in Turda at the Ratiu Compound.
Participants received an official diploma upon completing the programme.
An audience of experts, civil society members, and former participants were invited to attend alongside the selected applicants. This added a diversity of expertise and perspectives to the group discussions, and provided participants with further networking opportunities.
The Ratiu Forum will also shortly be launching a mentorship scheme in developing civic competences through history teaching, leading to a publication on the subject. Following the History Teaching Workshop those who have attended and who are suitably qualified will also be invited to apply for this scheme. For any further information please contact oana.camilleri@ratiuforum.com.
SPEAKERS
Carol Capiță is currently Professor of Archaeology and Prehistory at the University of Bucharest. He is also interested in the Didactics of History, the initial and in-service training of History teachers. Over the years, he was involved in several projects related to teaching History in Secondary Schools, mainly on topics relating to the development of Civic competences, the use of primary sources, and the design of History curricula. He authored and co-authored several books on Prehistory and the Didactics of History teaching.
Raul Cârstocea is Professor of History at Maynooth University, Ireland and Principal Investigator of the European Research Council Consolidator Grant Project Insurgent Temporalities: Fascism as a Global Anti-Universalist Project (2025-2030). He has previously worked at the University of Leicester, Europa Universität Flensburg, the European Centre for Minority Issues in Flensburg, Germany, and at University College London. He has held research fellowships at the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies, the Institute for East and Southeast European Studies in Regensburg, the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies in Amsterdam, King’s College London, and the Imre Kertész Kolleg Jena. His research interests focus on anti-Semitism, fascism, nationalism, the Holocaust, and more broadly on state formation and nation-building processes in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, and their consequences for minority groups. He is co-editor of the Modern History of Politics and Violence book series at Bloomsbury and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe at the Council of Europe.
Irina Hasnaș Hubbard is a visual artist and curator who brings her artistic perspective to her work as a museographer/curator at MOCR (Museum of the Horrors of Communism in Romania). With a doctorate from Romania and a Master’s in Museum Studies from the USA, she designs and leads interdisciplinary and artistic workshops that explore recent history through art. She is also a museum educator, a member of ICOM and the Union of Visual Artists Romania, and an alumna of DAAD and Fulbright.
Ioana Hașu-Georgiev is a researcher of history of Communism, a curator of recent memory, and a journalist, specializing in educational and artistic public history projects. She coordinates interdisciplinary initiatives that combine storytelling and documentary theatre. In recent years, she has collaborated with national and European organizations on a variety of public history projects.
John Lotherington is the Director of 21st Century Trust and a program consultant at Salzburg Global. Between 2010 and 2020, he had a particular responsibility for Salzburg Global’s Health programs. John has been director of the 21st Century Trust since 2000, joining as deputy director in 1992. He began his career in history education and maintains an interest in that area. His publications as editor and author include The Communications Revolution; Years of Renewal: European History 1470 to 1600; The Seven Ages of Life; The Tudor Years; and he has written introductions to The Florentine Histories by Niccolò Machiavelli, The Book of the Courtier by Baldassare Castiglione, and Inferno by Dante. He leads the annual LSE Ideas/Ratiu Forum Teaching of History Programme in Romania. John is also vice-chair of Cumberland Lodge, a trustee of the Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development and a governor of Goodenough College, London, UK.
Slobodan G. Markovich, MBE is Full Professor at the School of Political Science of the University of Belgrade, where he lectures Political Anthropology, Political History of South-East Europe and Image of European Other. He is also Full Professor at the Institute for European Studies in Belgrade. He has been Research Associate at LSEE/LSE since 2012, and at LSE IDEAS since 2018, as well as head of the Centre for British Studies at the School of Political Science in Belgrade since 2017. His published monographs include a book on Freud’s pessimism, Pessimistic Anthropology of Sigmund Freud (Belgrade, 2012); on Serbian economist, politician and diplomat Chedomille Miyatovich, A Victorian Among Serbs (Belgrade, 2006); and a monograph on British-(Balkan) Serbian relations, British Perceptions of Serbia and the Balkans 1903-1906 (Paris, 2000, in English). His (co-)edited collections of papers in English include: British-Serbian Relations from the 18th to the 21st Centuries (Belgrade, 2018), Problems of Identities in the Balkans (Belgrade, 2006), and Challenges to New Democracies in the Balkans (Belgrade, 2004). He has been the coordinator of annual meetings titled ‘Psychoanalysis and Culture’ since 2016. His research interests include: construction of ethnic/ national and religious Identities in the Balkans, British-Balkan Relations, psychoanalytic psychoanalytic anthropology, and the History of European pessimism.
Marko Šuica is a Serbian medievalist and Full Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. In addition to lecturing on medieval history (especially Serbian-Ottoman relations in 14th century), he teaches history didactics and leads initial teacher training courses for history educators/teachers. He also chairs the Center for Research of History Teaching and Historical Heritage at the Faculty. From 2001 to 2004, he coordinated the Georg Eckert Institute project on History Textbook Research and Development in South-Eastern Europe. Since 2003, he has served as an expert for the Council of Europe’s History Teaching Unit, contributing to local, regional, and bilateral programs, and since 2010, has been involved in intergovernmental cooperation (including teacher training in Ukraine, Cyprus). He also worked as coordinator on OSCE projects for national minorities, and Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey national minority programs in Serbia. His domain of expertise includes medieval Balkan history, history didactics, curricula design, textbooks, and assessment. He is the author of numerous textbooks, supplementary teaching materials, educational standards, and history curricula. He serves as a consultant for Council of Europe programs on anti-discrimination and minority rights and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe, EuroClio, and the International Society for History Didactics. One of the founders of the Belgrade History Education Symposium.
Eric Beckett Weaver is an associate professor teaching political science at the University of Debrecen. He received his doctorate in History from The University of Oxford in 2008. He is the author and editor of a variety of books and articles on nationalism, minorities, and politics in Southeastern Europe.
Lidija Županić Šuica is an art and civic education teacher, and the president of Education for the 21st Century. She is also a Board Member of EuroClio – the European Association of History Educators, where she contributes to shaping the future of history and citizenship education across Europe. With a diverse and far-reaching professional portfolio, Lidija is highly experienced in project management, coordination, and consultancy at both national and international levels. Her areas of expertise include curriculum development, textbook authorship, teacher training, and cultural heritage education. Lidija’s contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious honors. She was awarded the 2020 City of Belgrade Award in the field of education, acknowledging her outstanding efforts to advance learning and pedagogy. Furthermore, Lidija and her team received the HISTOLAB Award for Innovative School Projects from the Council of Europe for the project Beotura, which showcased new and creative approaches to history education. She continues to play a key role in European educational initiatives. Currently, Lidija is an active member of the consortium for the Erasmus+ project “Monumental Challenges”, where her insights and leadership are instrumental to the project’s success. In addition, she serves as the project manager for the Belgrade History Teaching Symposium, overseeing the event’s strategic direction, planning, and implementation.