“Representations of `Self` and `Other` in History Textbooks: The case of 6th Grade History Textbook Revision in Greece”
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Historical narratives lay among the factors that play catalytic role in providing the cognitive, affective and evaluative paradigms within which groups develop an understanding of their identity, as well as their place in the world. They constitute a central mechanism through which certain types of social identities are being reproduced and transmitted from generation to generation. Importantly, they stand as key determinants of the nature of the relational space and interaction patterns between groups. Over the last decades, this reality, coupled with a growing realization that educational institutions are major loci of reproduction of historical narratives, have led to a number of peacebuilding initiatives directed towards the revision of history textbooks in different countries. Such initiatives, however, have been often received with, at best, caution and, at worst, strong resistance, especially in cases where the intention is to alter the representation of `self` vis-à-vis the `significant other` -the group that has been largely used as a reference frame against which `ingroup` collective identity is formed.
The intention of this study is to explore the factors that shape popular responses to such peace-building initiatives that are meant to challenge dominant historical narratives and break the cycle of problematic collective axiologies. In other words, an effort will be made to identify factors that constitute determinants of acceptance or resistance to these initiatives.
Answers to the research question will be provided through the exploration of a textbook revision initiative that took place in Greece at the turn of the new century.
The Center for the Study of Narrative in Conflict Resolution