Why national narratives are perpetuated: A literature review on new insights from history textbook research (London Review of Education vol. 15 , nr. 2, pp. 286-301). (original) (raw)

National narratives have often served to mobilize the masses for war by providing myths and distorted interpretations of the past, while conversely wars were major sources for producing national narratives. Because national history - although in many ways different than fifty years ago - most likely will remain a central topic in history education, it is important to gain a greater understanding of the underlying structures and mechanisms of these narratives in history textbooks. After outlining the historical interconnectedness of the emerging nation-states and history teaching, we explain the complexity of the history textbook as an educational resource. Next, we will identify some current problems and challenges in history textbook research. We continue by discussing promising research trends mainly related to national narratives, such as the analysis of images, the use of digital tools, the autonomy of textbook narratives and history textbooks in relation to other media. Another recent reorientation is textbook research that uses a holistic approach. By this we mean studies which examine the history textbook as a whole: composition, periodisation, visual intertextuality and chapters that do not focus on national history at first glance. These studies offer new insights and explanations for the perpetuation of national narratives in history textbooks. See http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/ioep/clre/2017/00000015/00000002/art00011