The heightened resonance of identity-driven politics in many states across twenty first century Europe emphasizes the critical role of history in shaping public contestation of the idea of the nation, and accordant manifestations of nationalism and national identity. How the past is interpreted or what and how is remembered has proven increasingly febrile, contentious, and divisive. Debates about history have gone beyond academia, and have permeated and polarised politics and society in many European countries. Intense debate and dispute about national history and culture has often focused on the history teaching in schools, colleges, and universities. According to the aforementioned, it is evident that the teaching of history in the classroom is a relevant topic within the educational system. For this reason, it is not surprising that many times the choice of what kind of history to teach becomes a controversial topic. The existence in a given society of different visions about the nation or the various responses proposed to face the social challenges existing in it (immigration, independence nationalisms...) can turn the teaching of history into a debated and controversial topic. Logically, depending on the specific political context of each country, this debate can acquire different developments and characteristics. The school is not an institution isolated from its socio-political context. In fact, both areas constantly interact. Therefore, this book proposes an approach to this topic that tries to connect the specific political context of different countries with the debates about education and history teaching from 1990 until the present. It deals with the extent to which the social and political context affects the history teaching practice developed in the classrooms through the decisions made on the official curricula and textbooks. Emphasizing this connection between both aspects is one of the strengths of this book. That is the reason why this book proposes an approach to that reality from diverse points of view and show the different materializations observed in this area in the studied cases. The chapters of this volume allow us to verify this heterogeneous reality and help enrich our knowledge on this broad and interesting topic.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This volume discusses the effects, models and implications of history teaching in relation to conflict transformation and reconciliation from a social-psychological perspective. Bringing together a mix of established and young researchers and academics, from the fields of psychology, education, and history, the book provides an in-depth exploration of the role of historical narratives, history teaching, history textbooks and the work of civil society organizations in post-conflict societies undergoing reconciliation processes, and reflects on the state of the art at both the international and regional level. As well as dealing with the question of the ‘perpetrator-victim’ dynamic, the book also focuses on the particular context of transition in and out of cold war in Eastern Europe and the post-conflict settings of Northern Ireland, Israel and Palestine and Cyprus. It is also exploring the pedagogical classroom practices of history teaching and a critical comparison of various possible approaches taken in educational praxis. The book will make compelling reading for students and researchers of education, history, sociology, peace and conflict studies and psychology.

This book analyses the role of history education in conflict and post-conflict societies, describing common history textbook projects in Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Far East and the Middle East. Ever since the emergence of the modern school system and the implementation of compulsory education, textbooks have been seen as privileged media. The knowledge they convey is relatively persistent and moreover highly selective: every textbook author must choose and omit, condense, structure, reduce, and generalize information. Within this context, history textbooks are often at the centre of interest. There are unquestionably significant differences regarding homogeneity or plurality of interpretations when concepts of history education are compared internationally. This volume conducts a comparative analysis of common history projects in different countries and provides conceptual frameworks and methodological tools for enhancing the roles of these projects in the processes of conflict prevention and resolution. This book is timely, as issues of history education in conflict and post-conflict societies are becoming more popular with the increased realisation that unresolved disagreements about historical narratives can, and often do, lead to renewed conflict or even violence. This book will be of interest to students of peace studies and conflict resolution, political science, history, sociology, anthropology, social psychology, and international relations in general.

This Handbook provides a systematic and analytical approach to the various dimensions of international, ethnic and domestic conflict over the uses of national history in education since the end of the Cold War. With an upsurge in political, social and cultural upheaval, particularly since the fall of state socialism in Europe, the importance of history textbooks and curricula as tools for influencing the outlooks of entire generations is thrown into sharp relief. Using case studies from 58 countries, this book explores how history education has had the potential to shape political allegiances and collective identities. The contributors highlight the key issues over which conflict has emerged – including the legacies of socialism and communism, war, dictatorships and genocide – issues which frequently point to tensions between adhering to and challenging the idea of a cohesive national identity and historical narrative. Global in scope, the Handbook will appeal to a diverse academic audience, including historians, political scientists, educationists, psychologists, sociologists and scholars working in the field of cultural and media studies.

Uncover how history education can either divide or unite, and explore the Council of Europe’s groundbreaking initiatives that have redefined how we teach history, promoting critical thinking and democratic values for a more inclusive future. History education possesses immense power, serving as a doubleedged sword. It can either propagate divisive, harmful narratives or foster critical thinking, understanding and unity. The Council of Europe’s pioneering efforts since its creation have profoundly shaped history education, emphasising multiperspectivity and democratic values. Through comprehensive programmes and projects, they have reformed curricula, promoted critical historical inquiry and introduced innovative teaching practices. Today, initiatives like the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe and HISTOLAB continue this legacy, addressing contemporary challenges to enhance history education. This publication delves into these efforts featuring insightful articles from four HISTOLAB fellows, exploring the intersection of digital innovation, inclusivity and curricular reform in history education.

This study sheds light on the current state of history education in Africa and reflects on its potential to prepare this continent’s learners for the challenges of "learning to live together". Drawing on an examination of school curricula and the experiences of educational stakeholders, it identifies trends in the processes and outcomes of recent curricular revisions, and discerns key challenges relating to the teaching and learning of history across Africa. It scrutinises the place afforded to history within African education systems, and surveys related contents and pedagogies. While it identifies African history as a fundamental yet sensitive and controversial subject, it also illustrates examples of present-day curricular strategies to integrating a concern for promoting a "culture of peace".

Der englischsprachige Band bietet einen Überblick über die Entwicklungen im Bereich historischer Bildung in den Nachfolgestaaten Jugoslawiens und der Republik Moldova seit Mitte der 1990er Jahre bis heute. Ausgangspunkt aller Beiträge ist der Nations- und Staatsbildungsprozess mit seinen Auswirkungen auf Geschichtspolitik und Schule im Rahmen eines ermutigenden, aber auch widersprüchlichen Transformationsprozesses. Ergänzend wird die Rolle der in der Region international agierenden Bildungsakteure und -institutionen untersucht. Unter welchen Voraussetzungen und mit welchen Mitteln Reformen und Interventionen im Bildungsbereich nachhaltig wirken können, in welche Richtung sich historische Narrationen entwickeln – diese und ähnliche Fragen sucht der Band zu beantworten. Er erlaubt aus interdisziplinärer Perspektive Einblicke in die komplexen Transformationen des Bildungssektors in Südosteuropa.