Luigi CajaniUniversità “La Sapienza”

Roma

Conflicts in history and citizenship education during the last 20 years

A report from the Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution

Assessment, tutorial structures and initial teacher education of trainee students in the subjects "Political/Civic Education", "Social/Cultural Studies" and History in Europe

A comparative study

Second Expert Meeting , Vienna, May 25-28, 2011

Patterns of conflicts

• Social and political conflicts which have an impact on history and citizenship education• domestic conflicts• international conflicts involving one’s country• international conflicts not involving one’s country

Patterns of impact on education

• Changes in curricula

• Changes in textbooks

• Special didactic activities

• Involvement of school in official celebrations

• Bilateral textbooks

Case studies

Italy

• Rehabilitation of Fascism

• Commemoration of the foibe (controversy with Slovenia)

• Celebration of the 150° anniversary of Italian unity (March 17, 2011)

Estonia

• Controversy with Russia (The Bronze Soldier, 2007).

Czech Republic

• Collaboration during the Nazi occupation

• Expulsion of the German population in 1945

• The communist regime

• Split of Czechoslovakia in 1991

• Outcomes:

• media coverage

• unofficial teaching materials

Slovakia

• Controversies between Slovakia and Hungary• Ethnic origins

• Historical relations in terms of occupation

• Cohabitation of nations in the Hungarian and Austro-Hungarian Empires (magyarisation)

• Domestic controversies• Czechoslovakizm

• Deportation of Jews from Slovakia

• No impact on citizenship education• Hungarian-Slovakian history textbook project

Poland

• Domestic:• Communist regime (lustration law)

• International:• WWII and aftermath

• Bilateral textbook commissions:• Polish-German• Polish-Ukrainian• Polish-Lithuanian

Ukraine

• Holodomor

• Relations of Orthodox, Union and Catholic churches

• Ethnic conflicts (Crimean Tatars, Russians and Ukrainians, xenophobia)

Cyprus

• Division between a Greek and a Turkish part• bicommunal projects involving NGOs and the

Council of Europe

Germany

• Armenian Genocide (Brandenburg 2002-2004)

• Russlanddeutsche in NRW

• Vertreibung

• GDR

The Netherlands

• Colonial past• Indonesia• Suriname

United Kingdom

• Emotional and controversial issues (British Historical association, T.E.A.C. H. Report, 2004)• Crusades

• Transatlantic slave trade

• Irish history

• Partition of India

• Immigration to the UK

• Holocaust

• Action against ignorance of national history (Michael Gove, Minister of Education, October 2010)