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History General

To the Past

History Education, Public Memory, and Citizenship in Canada

edited by Ruth Sandwell

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Oct 2006
Category
General
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780802038913
    Publish Date
    Oct 2006
    List Price
    $81.00
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780802038142
    Publish Date
    Oct 2006
    List Price
    $41.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442659285
    Publish Date
    Dec 2006
    List Price
    $29.95

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Description

Recent years have witnessed a breakdown in consensus about what history should be taught within Canadian schools; there is now a heightened awareness of the political nature of deciding whose history is, or should be, included in social studies and history classrooms. Meanwhile, as educators are debating what history should be taught, developments in educational and cognitive research are expanding our understanding of how best to teach it. To the Past explores some of the political, cultural and educational issues surrounding what history education is, and why we should care about it, in the twenty-first century in Canada.

Originally broadcast in the fall of 2002 on the CBC Radio program Ideas, the lectures that comprise this volume not only address how history is taught in Canadian classrooms, but also explore strands within larger discussions about the meaning and purposes of history more generally. Contributors show how Canadians are demonstrating a new interest in what scholars have termed 'historical consciousness' or collective memory, through participation in a wide range of cultural activities, from visiting museums to watching the History Channel. Canadian adults and children alike seem to be seeking answers to questions of identity, meaning, community and nation in their study of the past. Through this series of essays, readers will have the opportunity to explore some of the political and ethical issues involved in this emerging field of Canadian 'citizenship through history' as they learn about public memory and broadly defined history education in Canada.

About the author

Ruth Sandwell is an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.

Ruth Sandwell's profile page

Awards

  • Short-listed, NCPH Book Award - National Coucil on Public History