Historical Narratives in Different Language Versions of Wikipedia

The article compares selected entries on Wikipedia concerning significant historical events in three language versions: Belarusian, Lithuanian, and Polish. The idea behind Wikipedia is that anyone can contribute to it, thus expanding the pool of shared knowledge. This model of an online encyclopaedia, however, can be accused of subjectivity. According to communication theorists, the Web allows people to live as if in a single global village; however, the field of historical discourse proves that virtual reality is rife with multiple villages, each presenting a different point of view. Wikipedia, which is a flagship example of the implementation of Marshal McLuhan’s concept, is no exception in this matter. In this study, I apply the method of ideological critique to investigate whether national values influence the objectivity of Wikipedia articles written in local languages. A comparison of multilingual Wikipedia entries reveals the prevalence of “local” points of view on controversial historical events.