Faculty members Full Prof. Renato Matić, PhD, and Assistant Prof. Ivan Perkov, PhD, from the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, have been awarded a grant of USD 4,000 by Northwestern University to support the development and enhancement of a course dedicated to Holocaust education for the 2026/2027 academic year.

The grant is part of an international support programme awarded to a limited number of university teachers and institutions worldwide, aimed at strengthening Holocaust education and advancing teaching content and methodologies in this field. The award recognises the quality of the recipients’ previous work as well as their systematic and interdisciplinary approach to teaching this complex subject.

The course Holocaust, offered within the graduate study programme in Sociology, provides students with a theoretical and comparative understanding of the historical, social, and political dimensions of the Holocaust. The curriculum includes analyses of sociological theories of power and violence, the study of antisemitism, fascism, and Nazism, as well as comparative perspectives on genocides after the Second World War. Particular emphasis is placed on memory culture, the role of society and the state in crimes against humanity, and the critical interpretation of historical sources alongside contemporary forms of denial and revisionism.

The awarded funding will enable further curriculum development, the integration of new academic sources and teaching materials, and the strengthening of international academic cooperation. The grant also represents a significant form of international institutional recognition.

This achievement confirms that Croatian scholars, particularly faculty members of the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, actively contribute to global academic discussions on memory, history, and social responsibility.

At a time marked by the rise of historical revisionism and the relativisation of past crimes, education about the Holocaust remains essential for fostering historical awareness, responsibility, and the prevention of violent ideologies.