European Association of History Educators

Source: EUROCLIO on the BBC World Service, February 3rd, 2010
On february 3rd, the BBC world service, with over 30 million global listeners, focused the disputed role of history textbooks in the process of European Integration. The documentary offered a multiperspective insight on the role of history teaching and the significance of history textbooks in the establishment of a balance between integration and nationalism on the path towards a common European Past. In this context, EUROCLIO Executive-Director Joke van der Leeuw-Roord underlines the need for raising historical awareness among the youth while she suggests that the current rather narrow and nationalistic-oriented teaching of history in most European countries impedes the maintenance and development of a democratic and peaceful community. To that extent, she urges the need for the development of common approaches for the formation of a shared European history based on mutual understanding and close collaboration among the relevant actors. The program concludes with a reference to EUROCLIO’s upcoming Annual Conference, entitled, “A Bridge Too Far? Teaching Common European History  Themes, Perspectives and Levels” with Mark Whitaker asking whether a common European textbook would be ever possible. Joke van der Leeuw-Roord then explained the EUROCLIO Historiana initiative, the web-based learning and teaching resource for history teachers across Europe.
The full documentary can be downloaded as a podcast and you can listen here

For more information, and a full summary of the documentary please click 'read more'

In a similar pattern, Dr. Falk Pingel (textbook and curriculum expert, formerly of Georg-Eckert Institute for International textbook research) suggests that historical texts constitute shared reflections of society as seen in the simultaneous reemergence of nation states and the push towards integration on a European level. To that extent, he underlines the need for the inclusion of smaller states in the formation of a common European consciousness in an attempt to overcome the predominance of central and bigger states in the writing of European History. From Stefan Berger’s (University of Manchester) perspective, nationalism as clearly manifested in the 19th and 20th century, has succeeded in  constructing national identities by accentuating the  sense of shared continuous past “master narratives”. An example that further strengthens this argument comes from the Western Balkans where Ann Low-Beer (University of Bristol) observes the dominance of a nationalistic sentiment and the extensive usage of an “angry vocabulary” in historical textbooks. In this context, a “two-schools in one roof” example is given in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where, according to Falk Pingel, there is a need for change of these “aggressive” approaches to school history. For Peter Geiss (co-publisher of the German-French History textbook initiative), a comparative studying of historical events by avoiding a monolithic imposition of national narratives could be the way to push forward the development of a common European textbook.  Ian Phillips (Senior Lecturer at Edge Hill University, Liverpool, UK) stated that the focus of Key  Stage 3 teaching in history was too narrow, too much focused on British history and that European history only appeared in 1066,  1588 or  in 20th century in the two World Wars and Europe was therefore perceived as   a problem or that it had caused problems for Britain. Andrew Rosindell (Conservative MP, Romford, UK) then argued that the European Union is a modern operation and therefore of little relevance for the formation of the story of British story of the past. The documentary brought forward some very interesting debates surrounding history in schools and it's wider impact.