Heritage, as an area of research and learning, often deals with difficult historical questions, due to the strong emotions and political commitments that are often at stake. In this, it poses particular challenges for teachers, museum educators and the publics they serve. Guided by a shared focus on these “sensitive pasts,” the contributors to this volume draw on new theoretical and empirical research to provide valuable insights into heritage pedagogy. Together they demonstrate the potential of heritage as a historical-educational domain that transcends myopic patriotism, parochialism and simplistic relativism, helping to enhance critical and sophisticated historical thinking.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: The Appeal of Heritage in Education
Carla van Boxtel, Maria Grever & Stephan Klein
PART I: REFLECTIONS ON HERITAGE AND HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS
Chapter 1. Are Heritage Education and Critical Historical Thinking Compatible? Reflections on Historical Consciousness from Canada
Peter Seixas
Chapter 2. The Continuous Threat of Excess? A Cautionary Tale about Heritage Celebration and Object Veneration in the United States
Bruce VanSledright
Chapter 3. Antiquarianism and Historical Consciousness in the New Media Age
Chiel van den Akker
PART II: EXPERIENCING HERITAGE AND AUTHENTICITY
Chapter 4. Why do Emotions Matter in Museums?
Sheila Watson
Chapter 5. Dutch Dealings with the Slavery Past: Contexts of an Exhibition
Alex van Stipriaan
Chapter 6. Tagging Borobudur: Heritage Education and the Colonial Past in Onsite and Online Museum Collections
Susan Legêne
Chapter 7. Unlocking Essences and Exploring Networks: Experiencing Authenticity in Heritage Education Settings
Siân Jones
Chapter 8. Archaeological Heritage Education and the Making of Regional Identities
Heleen van Londen
Epilogue Part II: History, Heritage, and the Spaces In Between
Brenda Trofanenko
PART III: TEACHING AND LEARNING ABOUT SENSITVE HERITAGE
Chapter 9. Holocaust Heritage Nearby: How to Analyse Historical Distance in Education
Stephan Klein
Chapter 10. Engaging Experiences of World War II: Historical Distance in Exhibitions and Educational Resources
Pieter de Bruijn
Chapter 11. An Intriguing Historical Trace or Heritage? Learning about Another Person’s Heritage in an Exhibition Addressing WWII
Geerte Savenije
Chapter 12. Increasing Understanding or Undermining National Heritage: Studying Single and Multiple Perspectives of a Formative Historical Conflict.
Tsafrir Goldberg
Chapter 13. Voicing Dissonance: Teaching the Violence of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States
Alexandra Binnenkade
Epilogue Part III: Taking Students’ Ideas Seriously: Moving beyond the History-Heritage Dichotomy
Keith C. Barton
Index
About the Author :
Carla van Boxtel is Professor of History Education at the Research Institute of Child Development and Education and the Amsterdam School of Historical Studies, University of Amsterdam. She is also director of the Dutch Center for Social Studies Education.
