| Summary: |
Preliminary note: The original idea for this project was made by Prof. Dr. Reinhold Hedke from the University of Bielefeld to a group of researchers from various European countries. The project was then outlined in a group where we are actively involved. Our decision to propose this as a national project will be mirrored by other colleagues in their respective countries. It is important to note, however, that the goals here proposed do not depend on the international context. \nIn the last 30 years formerly authoritharian countries across Europe have witnessed a transition to democracy (Portugal and Spain, as the so-called former soviet-block countries), with a deep transformation of their political institutions, including both the institution of constitutional democracies and the integration in the European Union. This political transition was accompanied by a strong emphasis on the role of education in the promotion of (democratic and European) citizenship, particularly since the mid-nineties: citizenship education (CE) became the motto for educational reforms across Europe (Menezes, 1999, 2003a), and was the object of many international studies on young people's political knowledge, competencies, attitudes and engagement (Amadeo et al., 2002; Torney-Purta et al., 2001). However, is spite of this intense effort to foster policies and strategies of CE, little is know about current practices in schools. Moreover, in countries that have experienced such intense political transformation, it is of relevance to ask the following questions: To what extent schools are nowadays committed to fostering a democratic culture that integrates a critical historical consciousness of the totalitarian past? How are images of this past depicted in curricula, textbooks, teacher training, and classroom practices? Is the past overly discussed or concealed, criticized or whitewashed? \nThe last decades have been witnessing a renewed interest in citizenship both in terms of theor  |
Summary
Preliminary note: The original idea for this project was made by Prof. Dr. Reinhold Hedke from the University of Bielefeld to a group of researchers from various European countries. The project was then outlined in a group where we are actively involved. Our decision to propose this as a national project will be mirrored by other colleagues in their respective countries. It is important to note, however, that the goals here proposed do not depend on the international context. \nIn the last 30 years formerly authoritharian countries across Europe have witnessed a transition to democracy (Portugal and Spain, as the so-called former soviet-block countries), with a deep transformation of their political institutions, including both the institution of constitutional democracies and the integration in the European Union. This political transition was accompanied by a strong emphasis on the role of education in the promotion of (democratic and European) citizenship, particularly since the mid-nineties: citizenship education (CE) became the motto for educational reforms across Europe (Menezes, 1999, 2003a), and was the object of many international studies on young people's political knowledge, competencies, attitudes and engagement (Amadeo et al., 2002; Torney-Purta et al., 2001). However, is spite of this intense effort to foster policies and strategies of CE, little is know about current practices in schools. Moreover, in countries that have experienced such intense political transformation, it is of relevance to ask the following questions: To what extent schools are nowadays committed to fostering a democratic culture that integrates a critical historical consciousness of the totalitarian past? How are images of this past depicted in curricula, textbooks, teacher training, and classroom practices? Is the past overly discussed or concealed, criticized or whitewashed? \nThe last decades have been witnessing a renewed interest in citizenship both in terms of theory and research (e.g., Beiner, 1995), particularly related to the intensification of signs of political disengagement and apathy within young people and adults, both in emerging and "historical" democracies e.g., Amadeo et al., 2002). It is therefore not surprising that there is a widespread emphasis on the role education should play to counteract these tendencies. Almost all citizens attend school and schools have historically played a central role in the promotion of the "ideal" citizen, in particularly during the institution of the Nation State as the school was a vehicle for the "creation" of national identities (Habermas, 1992). It is therefore understandable why both European national states and the European Union have stressed the role of schools as instruments for the promotion of democracies. In Portugal, many studies have described and discussed the educational policies in this field (Brederode Santos, Menezes, 1999), but analysis of implementation of these policies are scarce and limited to case-studies (e.g., Roriz, 2007) that tend to ignore the analysis of school-based policies and practices and classroom strategies\nOur team has a long experience in conducting research in this domain, using a variety of research designs and methodologies, including both international studies (e.g., Arnotet al., 2000; Menezes et al, 2003; Menezes, 2003b), and school-based case-studies (e.g., Menezes, 1998; Stoer & Araújo, 2000). Therefore, we are in a privileged position to address a project that combines international comparisons and national school-based analysis. \nThe project will definitely contribute to understand how the authoritharian past is recognized in contemporary policies, curricula and practices and how it interferes with the promotion of a political culture that values citizen's active participation in civic and political issues - the touchstone of contemporary democracies. |