Historielærernes erindrings- og identitetspolitik

Monokulturel, flerkulturel og/eller demokratisk?

Abstract

History Teachers’ Politics of Memory and Identity: Monocultural, Multicultural and/or Democratic?

In 2009 the Danish state implemented a history canon as a mandatory part of the history curriculum of the Danish Folkeskole. It has been highly disputed as to what kind of politics of memory and identity this initiative was representing and meant to advance. Just beneath the surface of this question another one is lurking: What kind of society are history teachers supposed to prepare students to live in? Is it a monocultural society, a multicultural society, or a democratic society? I answer these questions by drawing on two sets of data: data from a survey among history teachers in the Danish Folkeskole, and data from qualitative semi-structured interviews. The answers and conclusion are far from clear-cut. History teaching in the Danish Folkeskole seems to be flawed by paradoxes, inconsistencies, and contradictions.