The History Textbook – Ideological Reorientations and New Didactical Approaches
The History Textbook – Ideological Reorientations and New Didactical Approaches

Author(s): Elena Bujorean
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: Editura Lumen, Asociatia Lumen
Keywords: History textbook; ethnocentrism; pro-European; multiple perspectives.
Summary/Abstract: In the following article we will attempt to illustrate the manner in which the discourse of the History textbook undergoes a shift from the nationalist perspective to the promotion of the European dimension. This ideological reorientation has been supported at the level of national educational politics starting from 1990. A declared finality of the reforming changes in education is represented by the promotion of European values. Shifting the History discourse from the ethnocentric register to the pro-European one supports the idea that, generally, History textbooks do not place into circulation a neutral and objective product, but a certain version of the “collective memory that moves the society at a given time”(Mihalache, C., 2012, p.143). The new didactic approaches that advocate for multiple perspectives in the teaching of History could represent efficient ways of putting a stop to ideological manipulations. The analysis of the manner in which knowledge is built for students in 12 History textbooks between 1976 and 2011brings to light methodological options that promote the development of critical thinking in students in the new generation of textbook

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