Contemporary Public Debates Over History Education

Edited by:
Irene Nakou, University of Thessaly, Greece
Isabel Barca, University of Minho, Portugal

A volume in the series: International Review of History Education. Editor(s): Arthur Chapman, University College London. Arie Wilschut, Amsterdam University of Professional Education. Stuart J. Foster, University of London.

Published 2010

The 6th book of the International Review of History Education Series, Contemporary public debates over history education, presents public debates on history education as they appear in 14 different areas of the world, in Asia, Europe, North and South America. In alphabetical order: in Brazil, by Maria Auxiliadora Schmidt and Tânia Braga Garcia, in Canada, by Peter Seixas, in England, by Rosalyn Ashby and Christopher Edwards, in Greece, by Irene Nakou and Eleni Apostolidou, in Israel, by Eyal Naveh, in Japan and South Korea, by Yonghee Suh and Makito Yurita, in Northern Ireland, by Alan McCully, in Portugal, by Isabel Barca, in Quebec (Canada), by Jean-Francois Cardin, in Singapore, by Suhaimi Afandi and Mark Baildon, in Spain, by Lis Cercadillo, in Turkey, by Dursun Dilek and Gülcin (Yapici) Dilek, and in the United States, by Peter Stearns.

By illuminating common trends, national peculiarities and differences, this collective book further enriches our knowledge about crucial issues concerning public perspectives over history education in diverse parts of the world. It opens new questions and issues to be further investigated by all who are interested in this field, in terms of its historical, educational, global, national, ethnic, cultural, social and political dimensions in the current transitional and multicultural environment. This international dialogue therefore addresses historians, history education researchers, university professors, school teachers, policy makers, publishers, parents and all those who insist that history education is very important, especially if it enables young people to orientate in the present and the future in historical terms

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments, Irene Nakou and Isabel Barca. Series Introduction: International Review of History Education, Volume 6, Peter Lee, for the Series Editors. Introduction, Irene Nakou and Isabel Barca. SECTION I: “SMOOTH” DEBATES OVER A BETTER FUTURE FOR HISTORY EDUCATION, MAINLY IN EDUCATIONAL TERMS. A Modest Proposal for Change in Canadian History Education, Peter Seixas. Challenges Facing the Disciplinary Tradition: Reflections on the History Curriculum in England, Rosalyn Ashby and Christopher Edwards. History Debates: The United States, Peter Stearns. SECTION II: “MODERATE” DEBATES OVER THE PRESENT OF HISTORY EDUCATION IN POLITICAL, NATIONAL, AND EDUCATIONAL TERMS. The Public Usage of History in Brazil and its Relationships With Governmental Policies and Programs, Maria Auxiliadora Schmidt and Tânia Braga Garcia. The Importance of History in the Curriculum: Contradictory Signs in Portuguese Politics, Isabel Barca. Hazards in Spanish History Education: Essentialism, Oblivion, and Memory, Lis Cercadillo. SECTION III: “PASSIONATE” DEBATES OVER THE NATIONAL PAST RATHER THAN OVER HISTORY EDUCATION, MAINLY IN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL TERMS. Debates in Greece: Textbooks as the Spinal Cord of History Education and the Passionate Maintenance of a Traditional Historical Culture, Irene Nakou and Eleni Apostolidou. Public Uproar Over the History Curriculum and Textbooks in Israel, Eyal Naveh. International Debates on History Textbooks: A Comparative Study of Japanese and South Korean History Textbook Accounts of the Second World War, Yonghee Suh and Makito Yurita. What Role for History Teaching in the Transitional Justice Process in Deeply Divided Societies? Alan McCully. Quebec’s New History Program and “la Nation”: A Commented Description of a Curriculum Implementation, Jean-François Cardin. Does History Teaching Contribute to Showing Respect and Sympathy for Others? Debates on History Textbooks and the Curriculum in Turkey, Dursun Dilek and Gülçin (Yapici) Dilek. SECTION IV: ABSENCE OF SUBSTANTIVE DEBATE—HISTORY EDUCATION AS AN UNCOMPLICATED NATIONAL NARRATIVE. History Education in Singapore, Suhaimi Afandi and Marc Baildon. About the Authors.