English
A new matrix? What is the role of state-based history education in open, democratic societies, in respect to the memories that arise from the collective phenomena of war, oppression, displacement, injustice, trauma, nation building, or, indeed, everyday life? On what grounds do the interventions of school history rest? Why not simply accept “spontaneous” community memory, family myth, commercially produced narratives (e.g., Hollywood cinema) or other state-sponsored memories (e.g., national commemorations) that contribute to people’s understandings of the past?
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