History in perspective - moving beyond national identities

A shared history is a powerful unifying force, and the past has long been used to bring people together behind national narratives. This fails to reflect the complex nature of modern European society, warns Dr Claudia Lenz of the HISTCONS project.

 Historical events are subject to ongoing re-interpretation, often in line with the political or economic climate of the time. This is an area of great interest to Dr Claudia Lenz, a Senior Researcher in the HISTCONS project, a bi-national initiative linking Norway and Germany, which is aiming to develop new ways of teaching history. “The HISTCONS project is looking at the question of how history in general is constructed, interpreted, used in different contexts, and challenges participants’ views on the past and themselves - not least when it comes to national backgrounds,” she says. “We are all part of a process of trans-nationalisation thus it is becoming increasingly urgent for people to be able to see the past in the light of different perspectives and different narratives. So, this teaching programme aims to develop competencies to cope with different perspectives and different interpretations of the past, and to contribute in this way to the development of a more democratic and political culture in Europe.”

“The younger generation is more interested than their predecessors in universalistic interpretations of the past, which relate events like the war to questions of human rights, peace and tolerance. In a way they have moved away from the national narratives which have been and still are very important, even when challenged by supra-national narratives. Working in bi-national groups, the participants of the HISTCONS project were challenged to reflect on their different backgrounds and on the meanings being attributed to the past at different places and in different times.”

The work of the HISTCONS project suggests that immigrant populations are not automatically condemned to live as displaced outsiders, but instead it is possible for them to be made to feel a part of a wider sense of national and trans-national belonging. “We reflect the fact that you can never be 100 per cent sure about the processes of history, because you can never get 100 per cent of the historical truth. So, we have to rely on critical judgement. And this is only possible when you can look at thinks from different angles, hear different voices. Try to understand them, check if they are valid. This is not the same as relativism. The HISTCONS approach to history teaching is an exercise in participatory democracy.”

Contact Dr Claudia Lenz, Senior Researcher, at Claudia.Lenz@hlsenteret.no

Published: Monday, 9th November 2009