History Proving a Touchy Subject in Britain

[Kosmo]

"As the novelist George Orwell observed, he who controls the past controls the future, so it is perhaps not surprising that Orwell

[caldrail]

The problem with our current system is that history is seen as potentially politically incorrect, because it underpins national patriotism and focuses on events that reinforce what is seen as 'the old order'. It's a result of permissive and socialist agendas in teaching. It was, in fact, an informal attempt to recreate british scoiety in young minds in a sort of hazy new age or socialist vein.

 

That isn't just my observation. Television documentaries have been aired on this very subject. Personally I could go further and point out the circumstantial links between our involvement in europe and the political agenda to ignore british history against the values of cultural awareness. Need I go on?

[Northern Neil]

'myth of a golden age

[Ursus]

I'm a cynic, so take my views with a grain of salt, but I think education in general is slanted to the prejudices and biases of whomever happens to control the local institutions.

 

Here in the states, public schooling at the primary and secondary levels are largely under the control of locally elected school boards. These school boards have wide latitude to decide what is taught and how it should be taught. And thus, among other things, you have constant battles between secularists and fundamentalists over things like evolution, sex education, etc.

 

At a higher level, state legislatures can mandate certain minimum requirements. Various interest groups can lobby the state legislatures to teach whatever it is they feel is necessary. Many states require their local districts to teach "African-American history" for instance, though there are usually no such requirements for Asian-American, Latino-American, Italian-American or (especially) German-American histories.

 

Finally, tertiary education not controlled by a specific religion (such as Catholic or Mormon)is infamous for being slanted to a leftist interpretation of the social sciences and humanities, and those who feel otherwise find it in their best academic interests not to challenge the prevailing academic orthodoxy.

[Melvadius]

Finally, tertiary education not controlled by a specific religion (such as Catholic or Mormon)is infamous for being slanted to a leftist interpretation of the social sciences and humanities, and those who feel otherwise find it in their best academic interests not to challenge the prevailing academic orthodoxy.

 

Ah the good old 'Leftist' politics of America raises its head again which most of us in the west tend to look at what is being espoused and have a tendency to say to ourselves who are these dangerously right-wing radicals?

 

It really is a case that views on what is right and proper to be taught and indeed who it is right and proper to teach any given subject is an area that is often called into question - more often than not by those whose particular views, no matter how much of a minority view they may be, are not being taught.

 

It comes down to the fact that there is an awful lot of information that could be taught but not enough time to teach all of it or for students to take it all in. This leads to simplifications, amendments and in all too many cases, as far as historical knowledge is concerned, whole areas being ignored or at best only mentioned in passing.

 

I can well remember wondering what happened in between and after the Roman, Norman, Tudor and Stuart periods, which is about all that we covered in any depth, while I was at school and still being taught historical subjects.

 

This does raise the point that some have raised concerns that David Starkey as someone with an overtly political agenda which often appears to leap out from his lectures is possibly not the best of people to be casting stones about what is or is not proper about what is taught and how it is taught.

[caesar novus]

Here in the states, public schooling at the primary and secondary levels are largely under the control of locally elected school boards. These school boards have wide latitude to decide what is taught and how it should be taught. And thus, among other things, you have constant battles between secularists and fundamentalists over things like evolution, sex education, etc.

I thought the situation was US state educators had to choose from textbooks that are tailored to the biggest customer (California) mandates. That biases textbook history to leftward fringe, such as depicting western civilization as introducing mainly wickedness, oppression, and imperialism into a virginal paradise, instead of the enlightenment transforming the world for instance. Oh, with Texas a growing market, a few kook right wing textbooks can occasionally surface. Maybe this market-driven dominance will become less with a switchover to cheaper softcopy textbooks on tablets.

 

Then the next step is this history is transmitted thru an education system flawed by labor practices more tailored towards coal mines of 100 years ago; protecting teachers rather than educating students. However this transmission of a history orthodoxy can have a good effect of undercutting it's own message. Just like the way state churches drove Europeans into secularism, US students grow up into a fascination about "real" history and were once known to support books and multiple cable channels on history (before they became all about UFOs or lumberjacks).

 

Well that's my naive impression, but to get back to the core of the article which quoted Niall Ferguson... see http://www.booktv.org/Watch/12950/After+Words+Niall+Ferguson+Civilization+The+West+and+the+Rest+hosted+by+Susan+Jacoby.aspx video about what is, isn't, and should be taught about history in both US and UK. I agree with him saying historical concepts such as the successful innovations of the west (from Rome thru German/Scottish/British/American enlightenment) has to be taught in order that we don't drift from them. But how to do it can involve a can of worms with the important stuff being censored by the left in an overkill attempt to prevent jingoism. The detailed alternative of "just the facts, ma'am" is kind of hard too, due to the long histories of places like the UK where students would just drown in the endless lists of kings.

[Onasander]

The school system barely teaches history in the US beyond noting the most rudimentary aspects of colonial and revolutionary war subjects, barely note the war of 1812, civil war is.discussed a bit, and 20th century mumblings....

 

Here in the Ohio Valley, we mostly learn about history through our colonial forts.(rebuilt) and.town museums. It works well.

Lord.Dunmore's war began here in my town, thinking about getting a robocrafter so I can make a pop up.book detailing all the genocides and cruel torture used so kids can learn it at a early age.

 

Were better at recalling the federalists and antifederalists papers, or Tocquerville..... even the most ignorant can manage a discussion.