Abstract

The way in which history is remembered could – in the long term – become more influential than ‘what really happened’. An example is the use of historical myths in the Brexit debate. An important issue, therefore, is why certain memories are perpetuated and have become a canonized anchor in a nation’s social memory, while others are not. I will discuss mnemonic schemata in English and Dutch history textbooks (1920-2010), widespread media that have provided many people with meaning, memory, and identity. In textbook research, scholars have often pointed to the role of textbooks as ‘political vehicles of the state’ and showed how national governments have imposed their idea of the ‘right’ knowledge (Erdmann et al, 2008/2009; Podeh, 2000; Apple and Christian-Smith eds, 1991). However, the political impact on historical narratives is too often taken for granted and other reasons for the perpetuation of national narratives in history textbooks are easily overlooked. Although English and Dutch history textbooks are definitely not apolitical, neither England nor the Netherlands has a national system of textbook approval and authorization, unlike many other countries, and schools are free to choose from the open market. By discussing examples from these countries, I focus on more hidden forms of perpetuation and aim to direct attention to the idea that cultural memories are “autonomous” to a certain extent.

Dr. Tina van der Vlies published her book “Echoing Events: The Perpetuation of National Narratives in English and Dutch History Textbooks, 1920-2010” in December 2022. It is available in hard copy and open access. The book was awarded the Georg Eckert Research Award, handed out every two years by the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute (Braunschweig, Germany).