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This article analyses the historical culture of the Swedish Social Democratic Worker's Party (SAP) during its formation in the last decades of the 19th century. Utilising the theoretical concepts of myth and conceptual metaphor, the sense-making aspects of historical narration is studied, especially the way coherent stories are told in which the movement under formation is made part of a long history leading to a desirable future. The SAP utilised history both morally-defensively and tactically-offensively. The moral use of history depicts Jesus, Münster and the French Revolution, establishing the righteousness of revolt. The revolutions of 1848 and the Paris Commune, where the workers are seen as acting more independently, are depicted in a way which draws attention to tactical aspects; lessons are learned on how the workers should act in a revolutionary situation. As has been shown to be the case regarding national narratives, the sense-making mechanisms of historical narration also tends to appeal to issues of identity. The metaphorical conceptualisation of ideas and movements as individuals and families, further underlines these issues.

During the interwar period, a number of organisations started to look into education as part of an attempt to understand how nationalism was fuelled through education and to what extent it had forced the outbreak of the Great War. These efforts coincided with a more general internationalisation of educational systems as part of the progressive movement. In response to nationalism and a perceived need for reformation of national narratives, the school subjects of history and geography became the primary suspects as advocates of chauvinism and militarism. In 1919, associations for the promotion of understanding and cooperation between the Scandinavian countries – the Norden Associations [föreningarna Norden] – began investigating history textbooks. The notion behind these efforts was that the Scandinavian peoples had especially strong natural and historical bonds that a false nationalism had eradicated, and in the zeitgeist of the time such bonds should be resurrected. This revision of textbooks was expanded in the 1930s to explore, assess, and develop the entire teaching of history in the Nordic countries. The Norden Associations converged on many levels with the disparate international movements for educational change that, in a broader sense, led to standardisation of not only history education, but also the whole educational system. This article presents the Norden Associations as part of a process of hegemonic isomorphism in which cultural hegemony set the institutional boundaries within which the organizations could work in order to attain legitimacy. The network of educators, researchers, organisations, and politicians that was involved in this process was vast. This article demonstrates how an organisation with a specific political agenda, and with only limited international objectives came to be – not only a part of – but, to some extent, an organisational role model for loftier efforts aimed at global and cosmopolitan history teachings.

This article explores the different meanings of "Europe" in Swedish history textbooks over the course of the 20th century. Utilising the concept of myth, this textbook analysis looks at how the older history of Europe, and Sweden in relation to Europe, had changed by the end of the century. In particular, it examines the way in which Europe as a historically coherent entity is becoming attached to the idea of European economic, cultural and political co-operation in the wake of the Second World War. By using both quantitative and qualitative methods the study reveals that Europe as a concept has altered its meaning over time. Further, the study shows that the amount of text on Europe as an entity altogether increased in Swedish history textbooks in the latter part of the 20th century.

This article looks at upper secondary school history teachers' understandings of how historical knowledge is constructed and at the impact this might have on their classroom practice. The article has two objectives: (1) to examine how teachers view the relationship between the past and history – as a basic entry point peek into their epistemic thinking; and (2) to explore their reflexiveness regarding epistemic issues and what their view might mean for their perspectives and their teaching of history, and by extension, whether they see themselves as being political in the process or not. As part of an international, comparative study on history teachers and their epistemic positioning in the teaching of rival histories, we use a mixed-methods approach to present empirical data from Quebec and Sweden. Forming a cross-cultural dialogue, this comparative focus permits us to identify and discuss nuances that emerge in teachers' thinking in two completely different societies that nevertheless share similar democratic and political outlooks when it comes to the teaching of school history. In discussing the relationship between the past and history, it appears that teachers have different understandings of what historical knowledge is, how it is constructed, and the implications these meanings have for their practice. The findings demonstrate that there is a main difference and an important similarity between both sites. The difference is one where Swedish teachers are more inclined to make a clear distinction between the past and history, than their Quebecois counterparts who tend to be less prone to making this distinction clear. The similarity, in turn, refers to a majority of participants who are located in between these two extremities – objectivist and critical – and who demonstrate a case of epistemic "wobbling". In describing the reasons for this difference, namely Quebec's overt quest for nation-building among its various historical communities, the political nature of history teaching comes to light. In ...

This book explores how the expectations of historical justice movements and processes are understood within educational contexts, particularly history education. In recent years, movements for historical justice have gained global momentum and prominence as the focus on righting wrongs from the past has become a feature of contemporary politics. This imperative has manifested in globally diverse contexts including societies emerging from recent, violent conflict, but also established democracies which are increasingly compelled to address the legacies of colonialism, slavery, genocides, and war crimes, as well as other forms of protracted discord. This book examines historical justice from an educational perspective, exploring the myriad ways that education is understood as a site of historical injustice, as well as a mechanism for redress. The editors and contributors analyse the role of history education in processes of historical justice broadly, exploring educational sites, policies, media, and materials. This edited collection is a unique and important touchstone volume for scholars, policy-makers, practitioners, and teachers that can guide future research, policy, and practice in the fields of historical justice, human rights and history education.