Subtitle: Possibilities and Challenges of History Education as a Means to Historical Justice
published in Historical Justice and History Education, Matilda Keynes, Henrik Åström Elmersjö, Daniel Lindmark, Björn Norlin, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2021, pp.215-248
Over the past decade there has been a surge in literature investigating the relationship between education and historical and transitional justice. In particular, revision of history textbooks is often presented as a significant component of both peacebuilding and transitional justice mechanisms. However, academic scholarship has largely neglected situations in conflict-affected yet already established democracies, where such attempts unintendedly destabilise and polarise communities. Existing studies prescribing the use of history education reform as atonement also rarely question assumptions and approaches of peace agendas that may contribute to injustices. This chapter fills in these gaps by building on the case of Cyprus where history textbook revisions as educational atonement and historical justice have failed to materialise. Should history textbooks be used for addressing historical injustices, and if yes, what lessons can we learn from Cyprus regarding when and why history textbook revisions fail?
The information was taken from the publisher's website.
