| Date | May 2017 | Marks available | 2 | Reference code | 17M.1.BP.TZ0.17 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 1 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | What | Question number | 17 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
The sources and questions relate to Case study 2: Kosovo (1989–2002) – Causes of the conflict: Ethnic tensions between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians, rising Albanian nationalism.
Source Q
Julie Mertus, a professor of law, writing in an academic history book, Kosovo: how myths and truths started a war (1999).
Politicians manipulate public fears in order to suit their own needs to stay in power … An antidemocratic coalition within Serbia began to formulate a nationalist ideology and produce propaganda. Serbs were said to be the victims of Albanians in Kosovo; they needed the protection of a strong leader like Slobodan Milosevic … In an atmosphere of economic and political insecurity, the victimization ideology begun in Kosovo caught on quickly …
Over time, the nationalism became radicalized: difference was framed in terms of perceived physical differences in skin, nose, ears, sexuality … A gendered imagery of Albanian men and women was adopted. In the Serbian and Yugoslav presses, Albanian men were accused of violence against women, although Kosovo had the lowest reported incidents of sexual violence in Yugoslavia. Albanian women were portrayed as mere baby factories, despite statistics indicating that childbirth rates of urban Albanian women and those of other urban women in Yugoslavia were nearly identical. Accused in the past of being culturally inferior, Albanians were increasingly depicted as also being genetically inferior.
The sources and questions relate to Case study 2: Kosovo (1989–2002) – Causes of the conflict: Ethnic tensions between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians, rising Albanian nationalism.
Source R
V Mićović, a Serbian researcher, gathering data for a graduate thesis “Socijalna distanca i etničke stereotipije kod srednjoškolaca madjarske i srpske nacionalnosti” [Social distance and ethnic stereotypes in high school students of
Hungarian and Serbian nationality] (1986).
160 seventeen-year-old ethnic Serbian and Hungarian High School students living in Serbia were asked questions about their ability to accept other nations. Given 50 proposed attributes, both positive and negative, students chose the ones they considered typical of each nation.
These are the Serbian students’ perceptions of Albanians.
How, according to Source Q, were Albanians portrayed by Serbian propaganda?
What does Source R suggest about the perceptions some Serbian high school students had of Albanians in 1986?
Markscheme
- As a danger to the Serbs in Kosovo.
- Albanian men were portrayed as being violent to women.
- Albanian women were portrayed as “baby factories.”
- Albanians were portrayed as being inferior to Serbs.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. It is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive and no set answer is required. Award [1] for each relevant point up to a maximum of [3].
- Most perceptions were negative.
- Many of the attributes given aligned with stereotypes.
- Not all the suggested attributes were accepted equally by students.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. It is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive and no set answer is required. Award [1] for each relevant point up to a maximum of [2].
