English
Umberto Eco passed away recently, on 19 February, 2016. His contributions to philosophy and semiology, as well as his literary productions, have played a very influential role in our contemporary culture. On this occasion, his ideas about the importance of irony, which had a key role in his famous novel, Il nome della Rosa, are analyzed in relation to current problems in history education. This note intends, also, to be a modest homage to his deep and extensive work on the development of both culture and values.
National Narratives and Identities
History education powerfully influences the construction of national identities through so-called myths of origin that are taught and then subsequently appropriated by students, and which play an important role in most educational systems and practices. Therefore, researchers today generally agree that the history curricula from diverse countries are still full of nationalist contents, which do not coincide with historiographical research on nations and their origins.
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