Kosovo: A Short History

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Kosovo: A Short History – Easy Summary

Kosovo: A Short History, published in 1998, is a book by British historian Noel Malcolm. It looks at how nationalist histories have shaped the conflict between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo.

What Malcolm argues
- He says three big Serbian nationalist myths were used to shape the dispute:
- Kosovo as the cradle of Serbdom.
- The Battle of Kosovo in 1389.
- The idea that Kosovo became Albanian-majority.
- Malcolm treats Kosovo as a real place with a long, complicated history, not just a pawn in a nationalist argument.
- He uses available sources to examine both sides, though some critics say he did not use enough Serbian archives.

How the book was received
- Reviews were mixed. Some praised the book for helping people understand the region’s history and for challenging simple nationalist stories.
- Others criticized it for being biased or overly partisan against Serbian myths, or for not using enough Serbian sources.
- Malcolm replied that the book challenges myths on both sides, and that there are many Serbian myths as well as Albanian ones.

Later discussion and debate
- In 1999, a debate about the book in Foreign Affairs included strong criticisms from some Serbian scholars that Malcolm’s views favored Albanian separatists.
- Malcolm defended himself, saying he relied on a wide range of sources and that he was challenging myths from both sides.
- A 2006 study by Frederick Anscombe noted Malcolm’s critical stance on competing histories and his shift away from accepting the traditional Serbian account of Serbs migrating from Kosovo.
- Since publication, many Serbian historians have rejected the book. Some prominent Serbian figures, including the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, produced responses to it. In later years, some historians continued to label the work as pro-Albanian, reflecting ongoing controversy over Kosovo’s history.