[Bilimsel Haber] Book review: _The Nation, Europe, and the World: Textbooks and Curricula in Transition_

[suletar at kulturad.org]

Hanna Schissler and Yasemin Nuhoglu Soysal, eds. The Nation, Europe, and
the World: Textbooks and Curricula in Transition. New York: Berghahn
Books, 2005. viii + 258 pp. Illustrations, notes, contributors, index.
$60.00 (cloth), ISBN 1-57181-549-x; $25.00 (paper), ISBN 1-57181-550-3.
*
Reviewed by:* Brian M. Puaca, Department of History, Christopher Newport
University.
*Published by:* H-German <http://www.h-net.msu.edu/%7Egerman> (April, 2006)


Thinking Outside the Container

History instruction in the schools has been in the service of the
nation-state since the nineteenth century. Professional historians have
played an important role in this process by creating and legitimizing
national narratives and presenting them for popular consumption. Nowhere
has this work been more apparent--and more significant--than in
textbooks used in the elementary and secondary schools. Traditional
narratives continued to dominate classroom instruction well into the
postwar era, but they have recently been challenged by new models that
recast the nation in a European framework. This volume, edited by Hanna
Schissler and Yasemin Soysal, investigates the transformation of
national narratives across the continent and recent attempts to move
beyond the "container model" of national history.

The book itself is divided into three sections that provide a valuable
examination of European history and civics textbooks. The first of these
concentrates predominately on changing presentations of national
identity and Europe in German and French publications. The second and
perhaps most intriguing part examines Europe as seen from the periphery
and includes essays on modern Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian, Russian and
Spanish textbooks. The final section is somewhat different from the
first two. It consists of three essays reflecting on the integration of
world history instruction into the contemporary classroom and
professional concerns related to the new field.

The volume begins with a helpful introduction from Hanna Schissler that
outlines major developments in the field of history textbooks in the
postwar era. The reconceptualization of the nation in European textbooks
has been brought about by several developments challenging traditional
narratives. First, the broadening of human rights discourses since the
Second World War has emphasized the universality of individual liberties
and fostered a transnational framework. Second, decolonization has
promoted an awareness of the rights of formerly colonized peoples and
challenged their suppressors' ideologies. Third, the social movements of
the 1970s promoted a celebration of group, regional and ethnic interests
and identities that both eroded and transcended traditional national
models. Finally, the end of the Cold War and the changes that have
followed (democratization, modernization, European integration) have
prompted the advent of new historical perspectives. All of these forces
have cast doubt on the legitimacy of the dominant national narrative.

The first four essays of the volume focus attention almost solely on
France and Germany. The first of these, by Yasemin Soysal, Teresa
Bertilotti and Sabine Mannitz, compares the different techniques used in
the two countries to connect the nation to Europe. The authors argue
that in German texts, the nation recedes into the background, allowing
Europe more prominence. This development is by no means recent. German
texts have de-emphasized the nation, nationalism and national heroes
since 1945. The French, on the other hand, continue to stress the
nation. French ideals and values, however, are approximated with Europe;
to be a good French citizen is also to be a good European. These
alternatives are, in effect, two paths to the same goal. The authors do
an admirable job of highlighting both political and historical factors
that have contributed to these different approaches.

Rainer Ohlinger examines the depiction of returning migrants, expellees
and repatriates in French, German and Dutch history textbooks. His essay
shows the troubles textbook authors faced when dealing with these groups
who were both part of the national community and also a distinct group
with their own identity. Ohlinger emphasizes political, social and
cultural factors that influenced their depiction in postwar texts.
Particularly interesting is the comparison of expellees in East and West
German texts and the silences in France regarding the integration of
pieds-noirs after 1962.

The work of Jacques E.C. Hymans offers a critical examination of "French
distinctiveness" (p. 62) and argues that France has been slow to evolve
toward the predominant world model of history. The first part of the
essay examines several French history textbooks and concludes that they
have been resistant to new transnational approaches. His assertion that
French values have been relabeled as European in many textbooks
underscores the rhetorical shift highlighted in the first essay. The
second part of the essay relies largely on entrance exam questions given
by the École Normale Superieure over the past 150 years. Hymans argues
that since these questions were formulated by professors and alumni
independent of bureaucratic control, they indicate a resistance to world
models in history instruction on the part of French educators as well as
the state. One wonders, however, whether these questions show such a
dichotomy between the state and university professors. Did the choices
of these academics merely reflect the objectives of the state-determined
curriculum? Phrased differently: were students being tested only on
things that they were supposed to know? It is also unclear how
representative Hymans's figures are. His claims would be more convincing
if he showed that the entrance questions of the École Normale Superieure
were similar to those used at other elite institutions of higher
education elsewhere in France.

The decline of the nation in West German history texts, balanced by a
re-emergence of the nation in East German books by the 1970s, is the
focus of Julian Dierkes's contribution. He argues that the new federal
system in West Germany and the academic interests of teachers were
responsible for the introduction of new narratives in history
instruction. Furthermore, Dierkes points out that the "great men" of
German history have no longer dominated history instruction after the
war, while contemporary history has achieved much greater importance.
This piece nicely highlights the current re-evaluation of the 1950s and
1960s as a time of social and cultural transformation in the Federal
Republic. In contrast to the publications of its neighbor, postwar East
German history texts embraced transnational themes related to socialism.
It was only in the 1970s that education officials began to follow the
Soviet shift toward a more national approach to history instruction.
Thus while there were changes in reference to transnational and global
trends in the two countries, there were key differences in motivation
and timing.

The second section of the volume offers readers an examination of how
Europe has entered the textbooks of those countries on the periphery.
The most interesting essays in this section address Eastern European
conceptions of Europe and their place within it. Tim Pilbrow examines
the conflicted relationship of Bulgaria with Europe. He shows that there
are clear differences between the presentation in school textbooks and
other portrayals in public discourse. The mission of the schools is to
show a solid, organic tie between Bulgaria and Europe, while broader
public discussions call this relationship into question. It is this
ambivalence and ambiguity, Pilbrow argues, that defines the Bulgarian
national ideology. The essay devotes substantial attention to public
discussions of Europe among Bulgarians and asserts that the schools must
be seen "as a window onto a broader field of public discourse, rather
than as a clearly demarcated and controlled setting" (p. 133). This is
undoubtedly true, but it remains unclear how the ironies of the
Bulgarian connection to Europe are translated in the classroom. Students
are exposed to various influences that offer a multitude of impressions
of Europe and Bulgaria's place within it. If textbooks present an
idealized portrait of this relationship that does not match reality,
what is the response of students? The work of Pilbrow highlights the
fascinating connections between the schools and society. It also
underscores the need to move beyond the text and to devote
attention--insofar as it is possible through the source material--to
classroom experience.

The place of Russia in a new Europe and post-Cold War world is the
subject of Robert Maier's contribution. This essay, more than any other,
highlights the role of various individuals and groups in the
construction of a new history curriculum in recent years. The demise of
Communism has opened the door for private businesses, interest groups,
international actors (such as George Soros) and the Church all to become
involved in the production of textbooks. The result is a plethora of
texts offering competing interpretations of Russian history. This is a
dramatic change from the uniform narrative handed to publishers by the
Communist Party in previous decades. (Yet even here, Maier challenges
the idea that there was a single history conveyed to students and
highlights the "maneuvering" (p. 141) of teachers during the Soviet
era.) Maier's study reveals that it has been teachers and parents
driving these changes, as both recognize the value of new presentations
of Russian history and the country's connections with the world. Despite
dramatic changes in Russian texts, they remain unable or unwilling to
depict Russia as engaged with the world. Some texts are nationalistic,
others Eurocentric, while still others retain a Cold War anti-Western
bias. Thus, Maier presents a story that is largely unfinished.

Recent revisions in the textbooks of Greece and Turkey highlight
friendlier relations between the two nations as well as the former
nation's sense of security in the European Union. Vasilia Lilian
Antoniou and Yasemin Soysal examine Greek and Turkish texts and
delineate important differences in how the nation is conceived in both
lands. For the Turks, national identity is defined territorially. This
produces a "rather disjointed national history and identity with many
possible and contested heritages and multiple 'others'" (p. 106). The
Greeks, on the other hand, establish a continuous national narrative
based on the continuity of culture over time. While both countries make
claims to be part of Europe, each faces challenges to these aspirations
and finds itself on the margins.

The last essay in this section looks at Europe from the western edge of
the continent. Miguel A. Pereyra and Antonio Luzon trace the depictions
of Europe in twentieth century Spanish textbooks. They argue that
Spanish texts have concentrated on artistic and cultural links to Europe
at the expense of economic, political, and social factors. An
inferiority complex in relation to Europe that dominated history
instruction before entry into the European Community in 1986 has
disappeared. A new narrative emphasizing Spain's European identity and
connections to the continent has not yet emerged. Reconciling the
multiple local, regional, national, and supranational identities of the
Spanish is an issue that remains to be addressed frankly in these texts.
Similar to the other essays in this section, this contribution
illustrates the transitional state of history texts in contemporary Europe.

The third part of the collection offers the reader three essays
targeting pedagogical and professional concerns regarding contemporary
world history instruction. Michael Geyer regards the return of world
history as a fact and devotes his efforts to figuring out what to do
with it now that it has arrived. His essay revolves around three basic
issues. First, Geyer asserts that the reason for the recurrence of world
history is due to the fact that the world "has invaded almost
everybody's life" (p. 194). Recent global developments, including the
events of 9/11, have prompted a renewed interest in the subject. Second,
he suggests several possibilities for actually bringing world history
into the classroom. In light of the overwhelming content, historians
must organize world history instruction into manageable subjects. Geyer
discusses two such possibilities: a "history of un/settlement" and a
"natural history of the human condition." Finally, historians need to
come to terms with globalization as a series of human processes and
experiences. Geyer's article reveals his extensive experience teaching
advanced courses on world history and globalization.

Ocean maps serve as a useful metaphor in Kären Wigen's discussion of how
historians might conceptualize inter-area history. In a clear, concise,
and thoughtful essay, Wigen offers four models for consideration. The
first of these is the "national seas" paradigm, which is the equivalent
of national-focused inter-area fields such as "American diplomacy" or
"Spanish colonialism." Second, there are "ocean arcs" that are compared
to transnational networks. Recent diaspora scholarship is the best
example of this approach. Third, Wigen examines "ocean basins" as
metaphor for contact zones, frontiers, and borderlands. Finally, the
"global ocean" speaks to truly global studies of flows and processes.
The conclusion of Wigen's contribution raises several interesting
questions about the ramifications of global history on the profession.

The volume closes with Hanna Schissler's plea for textbooks to transcend
the traditional national narrative and embrace world history. Citing a
number of social, cultural, economic, and technological developments
that have contributed to the need for world history, Schissler
emphasizes the need to move away from the "parade of civilizations"
approach that does nothing more than overwhelm students and teachers
alike. Broadening students' horizons and preparing them to cope with the
demands of the present are the main objectives of the subject. Only when
people realize that their lives are intimately connected to an
increasingly transnational world, she argues, will debates on world
history fall on fertile ground.

Readers will find the collection to be a satisfying study of current
European efforts to depart from traditional nation-centered historical
narratives in the classroom. Nevertheless, they may find themselves with
lingering questions at the end of the book. Perhaps the most challenging
question one might ask is how textbook content has translated into
classroom instruction. Several authors highlight the importance of the
teacher as a mediator--and a variable--in this process, yet few address
this issue in any detail. A related question has to do with reception.
How have students experienced these new narratives? Many of the essays
point out that the schools are only one influence on students'
conceptions of Europe. If there are competing visions of Europe in
Bulgaria, Russia, Spain, France and Germany (and indeed there are), one
wonders how students reconcile what they hear at home and what they see
on television with what they encounter in textbooks. A final question
has to do with the future. It is true that there is a need to come up
with educational policies that will cultivate a European mentality and
sense of world citizenship. What specific initiatives can be taken to
achieve this goal?

This volume should appeal to a variety of interests. Obviously,
specialists in the history of education will find this to be a valuable
contribution to the study of history textbooks and instruction in
postwar Europe. Scholars interested in European integration and its
challenges will also benefit from this collection, as it addresses the
fundamental questions surrounding the creation of supranational European
identities. Finally, practitioners of world history will find the
contributions of Kater, Wigen and Schissler most intriguing. It is a
work that engages many important issues related to education, society,
and the future of Europe.


Citation: Brian M. Puaca. "Review of Hanna Schissler and Yasemin Nuhoglu
Soysal, eds, The Nation, Europe, and the World: Textbooks and Curricula
in Transition," H-German, H-Net Reviews, April, 2006. URL:
http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=279231159642251.
Go to H-Net Reviews <http://www.h-net.msu.edu/reviews>




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