Potentials of History Didactics in Theory and Practice
Conference of the Working Group on World and Global Historical Perspectives in History Teaching
The world of the 21st century is far more interconnected, complex, and disorderly than anticipated after the end of the East-West conflict. The key issues of the present are invariably global in nature. To understand them, global historical perspectives are essential. For instance, environmental issues in the Anthropocene—the age of human impact—can only be addressed on a global scale. Digitalization accelerates the exchange of information, creates a global knowledge society, and influences economic and political processes worldwide in real-time.
Processes of globalization also shape cultures of remembrance. Manga such as Barefoot Gen, which is central to Japan’s memory of World War II, holds a similar significance there as Art Spiegelman’s comic Maus does in the West. Such a Japanese classic, known only to a specialized audience in this region, has great potential for historical learning in a history curriculum oriented toward global history.
However, global history still plays a marginal role in German school curricula. These remain primarily national-historical and Eurocentric in focus, largely adhering to the Eurocentric “master narrative” of the “Rise of the West.” This results not only in “blind spots” and a limited historical orientation competence in light of the complex dynamics of globalization but also in didactic shortcomings. The implicit effects of this narrative lead to Eurocentric misconceptions and ethnocentric stereotypes, which must be corrected.
The organizers aim to address this discrepancy. Their goal is to bring together representatives from universities, teacher training centers, and school practice to discuss, based on classical topics in history teaching, how global historical perspectives can be effectively integrated into the existing curriculum.
On June 26 and 27, 2025, the Working Group on World and Global Historical Perspectives in History Teaching invites participants to the conference and teacher training event “Classical Topics in History Teaching – A Global Historical Perspective” at the University of Duisburg-Essen.
The event combines historical didactic theory with research findings in world-regional history and an increasingly global-history-oriented public history and memory culture research. Building on this foundation, the organizers aim to discuss how global historical perspectives can be incorporated into teacher education and professional development.
The organizers look forward to an engaging exchange at the conference and training event at the Essen campus of the University of Duisburg-Essen.
Contact: jan.siefert@uni-due.de
More information about the call (in German) you can find here.
[The description of the job position is based on the content of the Initiative's website.]
