HEIRNET 2016: History Education in a Changing World: The Past as a Tool for the Future

History Education In A Changing World:  The Past As A Tool For The Future

History Education is political education. As such it is central to the development of children’s sense of identity, consciousness and citizenship. Countries and communities use their frequently competing nationalistic master and other minor narratives, drawn from a canon of historical consciousness, memories, myths, legends, narratives, stories and accounts to promote, sustain and support dogmatic positions and beliefs. All too often these result in civil conflict, civil war, genocide, terrorism and international armed conflict.

The challenge to History Education is that, while teaching master and minor narratives, to develop pupils’ historical thinking as an antidote to closed-mind xenophobia and jingoistic nationalism. Teaching about ‘The Past As A Tool For The Future’ centres on History Education’s research based values, beliefs, policies, curricula and pedagogy/didactics that reflect the open-minded skills, processes, procedures and disciplinary concepts [second order] of history as a disputatious, debated and contested enquiry rooted in primary and secondary sources.

The History Educators International Research Network (HEIRNET) brings together colleagues from around the world interested in History’s educational, moral, social, political and citizenship role. Our 13^th annual conference meets in September 2016 at the University of Murcia, Spain