%0 Journal Article
%T History in Schools and the Problem of ¡°The Nation¡±
%A Terry Haydn
%J Education Sciences
%D 2012
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/educsci2040276
%X The article examines the enduring popularity of a form of school history which is based predominantly on the idea that the transmission of a positive story about the national past will inculcate in young people a sense of loyalty to the state; a reassuring and positive sense of identity and belonging; and a sense of social solidarity with fellow citizens. England is one of the countries which has to at least some extent moved away from this model of school history; but the past few years have seen suggestions for a move back to a history curriculum which focuses predominantly on the transmission of ¡®Our Island Story¡¯; and which presents a positive rendering of that story. The history curriculum in England is currently under review; and public pronouncements by politicians; academic historians and newspaper editorials suggest strong pressures towards a restoration of what is often termed ¡®traditional¡¯ school history; which was prevalent in English schools before the advent of what has been termed ¡®New history¡¯ in the 1970s. The paper questions some of the arguments which have been put forward in order to justify a return to a history curriculum based on a positive and unproblematic narrative of the national story and suggests that such a course of action is based on some unexamined assumptions and a limited understanding of pedagogy and learning. The final section of the paper outlines several weaknesses and flaws in the arguments for reverting to a traditional ( i.e. ¡®nation-based¡¯ and celebratory) form of school history; and some of the dangers inherent in such a project.
%K history teaching
%K curriculum
%K nation state
%K citizenship
%K socialization
%K humanities education
%U http://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/2/4/276