Issues in Holocaust Education

This original contribution to understanding the nature of Holocaust education in schools tackles an issue that has gained significant interest over the past decade, and is of increasing relevance due to a growing intolerance across Europe and elsewhere. The authors examine a range of issues including the need for Holocaust education, the factors that facilitate or inhibit its evolution, and the indifferent response of the antiracist movement to the attempted annihilation of European Jewry. The empirical content sheds light on the attitudes and practices of teachers and on the prospects of drawing on the Holocaust to further the goal of participatory democracy. The themes and illustrative research are discussed in the context of developments in two locations, the United Kingdom and Canada, and the findings will be germane to an international audience. The volume will prove invaluable to academics, policy makers and teachers concerned with education and the history of the Holocaust.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Why teach about the Holocaust?; The development of Holocaust education in the United Kingdom and Canada; Antiracist education and the Holocaust; Curricular, organizational and ethical issues; Teachers' attitudes and practices; Holocaust education and citizenship; Holocaust curricula; Holocaust museums; Teaching the Holocaust to young children; Endnote; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author :
Dr Short is currently Reader in Educational Research at the University of Hertfordshire. For more than two decades he has researched and published in the fields of multicultural and antiracist education and, in 1989, co-authored (with Professor Bruce Carrington) Race and the Primary School. He has a longstanding interest in holocaust education having published widely in the area and addressed many international conferences. He has also acted as a consultant to the Council of Europe on its recent Holocaust education programme. Dr Reed is a former Director of the Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre in Toronto, Canada.

Review :
’...a well written and thought-provoking book. Indeed, it makes a unique and valuable contribution to the field of Holocaust Studies. Particularly unique is the authors' discussions of the efforts of educators in Canada and England to teach the Holocaust, the connections between anti-racism and Holocaust educational efforts, and the research on student and teacher attitudes toward Holocaust education...a fine contribution to one’s library on pedagogical issues related to Holocaust education.’ Samuel Totten, University of Arkansas, USA ’...Issues in Holocaust Education will be valuable literature for educators in classrooms and museums in considering the questions of content selection, the suitability of resources, age-appropriateness for effective learning and the possible impact on a child's growing notion of self-identity, citizenship and moral truth...Short and Reed in their accomplished book offer an insight into understanding the issues - a crucial step in ensuring that the educational potential of the subject is realized.’ Ruth-Anne Lenga, University of London, UK ’As one who has thought long and hard about the Holocaust and its teaching, I still found helpful and revealing insights in every section. I warmly recommend [this] book.’ British Journal of Religious Education ’...a very valuable resource for teachers, teacher trainers and all educationalists with an interest in the development of Holocaust education...The themes are presented systematically and coherently and the book is fluently written in a readable style...a wide dissemination and study of this invaluable book would...contribute greatly to an increase in awareness of both Holocaust education and the professional, critical evaluation of the aims, outcomes, content and resources of Holocaust education.’ Journal of Moral Education ’Short and Reed are already well known for their work in this field and [this] book is a very positive contribution to the literature on Hol