Reimagining Communities: Meeting

the Challenge of Fostering National

Belonging in a Globalized World

Reimagining Communities: Meeting

the Challenge of Fostering National

Belonging in a Globalized World

Alan SearsUniversity of New Brunswick

asears@unb.ca

Alan SearsUniversity of New Brunswick

asears@unb.ca

The Cohesion CrisisThe Cohesion Crisis

‘We have to face uncomfortable facts that while the British response to July 7th was remarkable, they were British citizens, British born apparently integrated into our communities who were prepared to maim and kill fellow British citizens irrespective of their own religion.’

Gordon Brown

‘We have to face uncomfortable facts that while the British response to July 7th was remarkable, they were British citizens, British born apparently integrated into our communities who were prepared to maim and kill fellow British citizens irrespective of their own religion.’

Gordon Brown

The Cohesion CrisisThe Cohesion Crisis

Almost all democratic societies are faced with concerns about citizens who have not integrated well into either the generic processes of democracy or their particular national expressions of it

Almost all democratic societies are faced with concerns about citizens who have not integrated well into either the generic processes of democracy or their particular national expressions of it

The Cohesion CrisisThe Cohesion Crisis

‘Multiculturalism is not a Quebec value. It may be a Canadian one but it is not a Quebec one.’

Louise Beaudoin

Parti Québécois Critic for Secularism January 2011

‘Multiculturalism is not a Quebec value. It may be a Canadian one but it is not a Quebec one.’

Louise Beaudoin

Parti Québécois Critic for Secularism January 2011

ResponsesResponsesNetherlands – strengthening of

compulsory history requirements in school around a new cannon of Dutch history

China – the rehabilitation of traditional Chinese values: Confucius comes to Tiananmen

England – the teaching of ‘Britishness’

Netherlands – strengthening of compulsory history requirements in school around a new cannon of Dutch history

China – the rehabilitation of traditional Chinese values: Confucius comes to Tiananmen

England – the teaching of ‘Britishness’‘Young people understand less then they should about how our democracy works, the forces which have shaped it and its values, history and heritage; in short, what we understand by “Britishness” in the contemporary world.’ Ofsted, 2007

The ChallengeThe Challenge

‘We face a challenge unprecedented in our history: creation of a powerful political ethic of solidarity self-consciously grounded on the presence and acceptance of very different views.’

Charles Taylor, 2010

The Globe and Mail

‘We face a challenge unprecedented in our history: creation of a powerful political ethic of solidarity self-consciously grounded on the presence and acceptance of very different views.’

Charles Taylor, 2010

The Globe and Mail

Imagining and Reimagining Community

Imagining and Reimagining Community

Central ArgumentsCentral Arguments We have abused national history as a vehicle for imagining

the nation in inherently conservative and assimilationist ways.

In our retreat from assimilationist approaches to history education we have created a generic citizenship education that pays insufficient attention to national context.

The nation state remains a central context for civic identity and action and therefore attention to it is essential in civic education.

New work in both history and citizenship education points a way forward for an inclusive reimainging of national communities.

We have abused national history as a vehicle for imagining the nation in inherently conservative and assimilationist ways.

In our retreat from assimilationist approaches to history education we have created a generic citizenship education that pays insufficient attention to national context.

The nation state remains a central context for civic identity and action and therefore attention to it is essential in civic education.

New work in both history and citizenship education points a way forward for an inclusive reimainging of national communities.

Creating CanadiansCreating Canadians‘The aim of public schools in English Canada was to

create a homogeneous nation built on a common English language, a common culture, a common identification with the British Empire and an acceptance of British institutions and practices.’

Rosa Bruno-Joffre

‘Practically all students I tested, from Grade 11 to the university level, used a narrative that is, in a way, traditional. It refers to the timeless quest of Québécois, poor alienated people, for emancipation from their oppressors.’ Jocelyn Létourneau

‘The aim of public schools in English Canada was to create a homogeneous nation built on a common English language, a common culture, a common identification with the British Empire and an acceptance of British institutions and practices.’

Rosa Bruno-Joffre

‘Practically all students I tested, from Grade 11 to the university level, used a narrative that is, in a way, traditional. It refers to the timeless quest of Québécois, poor alienated people, for emancipation from their oppressors.’ Jocelyn Létourneau

Creating CanadiansCreating Canadians

Conquering PioneersThe Bilingual-Bicultural RealityThe Pluralist Ideal

Alan Sears

Canadian history has been a British and French Fabric that has been permitted to be decorated with diversity. We need a reweaving of the fabric -- not the addition of new decoration.

Roberta Jamieson CEO, National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation

Conquering PioneersThe Bilingual-Bicultural RealityThe Pluralist Ideal

Alan Sears

Canadian history has been a British and French Fabric that has been permitted to be decorated with diversity. We need a reweaving of the fabric -- not the addition of new decoration.

Roberta Jamieson CEO, National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation

Creating CanadiansCreating Canadians

Bad history, badly taughtStudents were ‘bench bound listeners’ learning a ‘bland consensus version of history.’

A.B. Hodgetts

‘The proper role for historians, Howard rightly says, is to challenge and even explode national myths.’

Margaret MacMillan

Bad history, badly taughtStudents were ‘bench bound listeners’ learning a ‘bland consensus version of history.’

A.B. Hodgetts

‘The proper role for historians, Howard rightly says, is to challenge and even explode national myths.’

Margaret MacMillan

Nothingness: Generic Approaches to Citizenship

Education

Nothingness: Generic Approaches to Citizenship

Education‘Central to this is an activist conception of citizenship in which every citizen, or group of citizens, will have the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to participate in the civic life of the country and feel welcome to do so. It is important to note, that what citizens are being included in is not citizenship in the ethnic or sociological sense of belonging to a community but, rather, they are being included in the community of those who participate, who join in a process.’

Alan Sears, Ian Davies and Alan Reid

‘Central to this is an activist conception of citizenship in which every citizen, or group of citizens, will have the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to participate in the civic life of the country and feel welcome to do so. It is important to note, that what citizens are being included in is not citizenship in the ethnic or sociological sense of belonging to a community but, rather, they are being included in the community of those who participate, who join in a process.’

Alan Sears, Ian Davies and Alan Reid

The Failure of NothingnessThe Failure of Nothingness

‘Major international events, such as 11 September 2001 and the London bombings in July 2005, have contributed to the debate on community cohesion and shared values. In the wake of these events, community cohesion is a key focus for the Government’

Diversity and Citizenship Curriculum Review, England, 2007

‘Major international events, such as 11 September 2001 and the London bombings in July 2005, have contributed to the debate on community cohesion and shared values. In the wake of these events, community cohesion is a key focus for the Government’

Diversity and Citizenship Curriculum Review, England, 2007

The Educational ChallengeThe Educational Challenge

How can education foster a sense of national belonging and social cohesion without reverting to the assimilationist approaches of the past?

How can education foster a sense of national belonging and social cohesion without reverting to the assimilationist approaches of the past?

The False DichotomyThe False Dichotomy

“Since its inception in school curriculum in the late 19th century, history education has served two very different purposes. On the one hand, it has served to form and sustain a cohesive sense of national identity and affiliation in the citizens of the nation-states. On the other hand, it has served to foster in citizens a critical understanding of their society’s past and present.”

Mario Carretero,Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

“Since its inception in school curriculum in the late 19th century, history education has served two very different purposes. On the one hand, it has served to form and sustain a cohesive sense of national identity and affiliation in the citizens of the nation-states. On the other hand, it has served to foster in citizens a critical understanding of their society’s past and present.”

Mario Carretero,Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

A Way ForwardA Way Forward

We Must Pay Attention to the National Context1. ‘While there are common or generic aspects to

democratic citizenship that exist across jurisdictions, it is most often lived out on the ground in specific contexts that give it both form and function.’

2. Nation states ‘remain key sites for the formation of identity and the exercise of citizenship.’

Theodore Christou and Alan Sears

We Must Pay Attention to the National Context1. ‘While there are common or generic aspects to

democratic citizenship that exist across jurisdictions, it is most often lived out on the ground in specific contexts that give it both form and function.’

2. Nation states ‘remain key sites for the formation of identity and the exercise of citizenship.’

Theodore Christou and Alan Sears

A Way ForwardA Way Forward

There must be a rapprochement between history and citizenship education.

‘The war between history and citizenship education is in many ways a false one. . . it is in every way counterproductive to developing substantive and demonstrably sound approaches to social education.’

Alan Sears

There must be a rapprochement between history and citizenship education.

‘The war between history and citizenship education is in many ways a false one. . . it is in every way counterproductive to developing substantive and demonstrably sound approaches to social education.’

Alan Sears

Reimagining Community Together

Reimagining Community Together

We must engage students as co-authors of the imagined nation.‘We advocate involving students in the process of constructing the meaning of democratic ideas for their own time and place. In other words, not telling them what it means to be Australian, Canadian or English but introducing them, in an informed way, to the discussion of what those identities have been, are, and might be in the future.”

Theodore Christou and Alan Sears

We must engage students as co-authors of the imagined nation.‘We advocate involving students in the process of constructing the meaning of democratic ideas for their own time and place. In other words, not telling them what it means to be Australian, Canadian or English but introducing them, in an informed way, to the discussion of what those identities have been, are, and might be in the future.”

Theodore Christou and Alan Sears

Reimagining Community Together

Reimagining Community Together

‘Students overwhelmingly appreciated the opportunity to study history that was contested, changeable, and not restricted to core national knowledge.’

Anna Clark

‘Students overwhelmingly appreciated the opportunity to study history that was contested, changeable, and not restricted to core national knowledge.’

Anna Clark

What Makes Our Time Different?

What Makes Our Time Different?

The Scope of ConsensusResearch Base: Cognitive Change; History Education;

Citizenship EducationClear Delineation of Conceptual and Procedural

KnowledgeDevelopment of Quality Materials to Support Good

Teaching The Development of Substantive Assessment Strategies Development of Cross Boundary Collaborative

Partnerships

The Scope of ConsensusResearch Base: Cognitive Change; History Education;

Citizenship EducationClear Delineation of Conceptual and Procedural

KnowledgeDevelopment of Quality Materials to Support Good

Teaching The Development of Substantive Assessment Strategies Development of Cross Boundary Collaborative

Partnerships

The Research BaseThe Research Base

How children and young people understand the history of their nations or communities – Levstik, Barton, Létourneau, Clark

How teachers construct the nation – Fadden

How students’ identities shape their understandings of their nations’ histories – Peck, Osler

How children and young people understand the history of their nations or communities – Levstik, Barton, Létourneau, Clark

How teachers construct the nation – Fadden

How students’ identities shape their understandings of their nations’ histories – Peck, Osler

Tools for Reimagining: Well Delineated Concepts and Processes

Tools for Reimagining: Well Delineated Concepts and Processes

Drawn from the work of Peter Seixas, Carla Peck, Penney Clark, Mike Denos and Roland Case

Tools for Reimagining: Well Delineated Concepts and

Processes

Tools for Reimagining: Well Delineated Concepts and

Processes

Tools for Reimagining: Substantive and Useable

Teaching Materials

Tools for Reimagining: Substantive and Useable

Teaching Materials

Tools for Reimagining: Teaching Approaches Focused on Cognitive

Change

Tools for Reimagining: Teaching Approaches Focused on Cognitive

Change

Tools for Reimagining: Teaching Approaches Focused on Cognitive

Change

Tools for Reimagining: Teaching Approaches Focused on Cognitive

Change

http://historybenchmarks.ca/

Tools for Reimagining: Substantive Assessments

Tools for Reimagining: Substantive Assessments

Stanford History Education Group

Tools for Reimagining: Collaborative Partnerships

Tools for Reimagining: Collaborative Partnerships

http://www.thenhier.ca/

Thank YouThank You