Abstract

Textbooks in history, geography and the social sciences provide important insights into the ways in which nation-states project themselves. Based on case studies of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Turkey Bulgaria, Russia, and the United States, this volume shows the role that concepts of space and time play in the narration of ‘our country’ and the wider world in which it is located. It explores ways in which in western European countries the nation is reinterpreted through European lenses to replace national approaches in the writing of history. On the other hand, in an effort to overcome Eurocentric views,’world history’ has gained prominence in the United States. Yet again, East European countries, coming recently out of a transnational political union, have their own issues with the concept of nation to contend with. These recent developments in the field of textbooks and curricula open up new and fascinating perspectives on the changing patterns of the re-positioning process of nation-states in West as well as Eastern Europe and the United States in an age of growing importance of transnational organizations and globalization.

“The fascinating analyses bring out how the importance and the shape of the others in narratives of the nation vary in the unequal structure of the world and the geopolitics of knowledge production…the diversity of the essays makes for immensely engaging reading.“   · American Journal of Sociology

"This volume should appeal to a variety of interests. Obviously, specialists in the history of education will find this to be a valuable contribution to the study of history textbooks and instruction in postwar Europe. Scholars interested in European integration and its challenges will also benefit from this collection, as it addresses the fundamental questions surrounding the creation of supranational European identities. Finally, practitioners of world history will find the contributions of Kater, Wigen and Schissler most intriguing. It is a work that engages many important issues related to education, society, and the future of Europe."  · H-German

Hanna Schissler teaches modern German history at the University of Hanover and is a Senior Research Fellow at the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research in Braunschweig.

Yasemin Nuhoglu Soysal teaches sociology at the University of Essex and is the current president of the European Sociology Association.