Europeanization, Education, and School Curricula

Abstract

One might expect governments to react to deepening European integration since the mid-1980s by updating national school curricula in social science subjects such as history and geography so as to reflect the new realities. France has done so, whereas England has not. This study asks how one explains this variation in outcome. Established explanations for why Britain has been a more reluctant European than France on other issues provide a useful starting point. However, a more thorough explanation for the outcome on this issue is gained by instead looking at the role of historical legacies in education (“laissez-faire” and decentralization in England and “faire” and centralization in France) that date back to the beginnings of the spread of mass education in the 19th century. These unique national legacies served as a prism through which Europeanization was filtered, and this contributes to an understanding for the variation in contemporary curricula content.

Narratives of democracy: Educated elites’ responses to democratic erosion in Indonesia

“…Building on Gramsci’s (1992) notion that intellectuals and elites shape consensus among the masses through discourses in the media, arts, and education, we join a large body of scholarship that has examined political speeches and history textbooks as sources of official discourses on how political elites have constructed a narrative and a perception of reality for their citizens (Albertson, 2011; De Castella et al, 2009; Haus, 2009). At the same time, popular culture materials produced by artists, writers, directors, editors, and intellectuals both shape public attitudes and reflect existing views among the population.…”

A Study of the Secondary School History Curriculum in Chile from Colonial Times to the Present

“…Through the 19 th century and up until the last decades of the 20 th century, there was no national curriculum in Britain (Haus, 2009). Primary and secondary schools were, in the early decades, controlled mainly by private institutions and the Christian churches (Phillips, 1999;Wilschut, 2010).…”

“…Primary and secondary schools were, in the early decades, controlled mainly by private institutions and the Christian churches (Phillips, 1999;Wilschut, 2010). These guidelines were suggestions that gave teachers a great amount of freedom to tailor their work for different school situations (Haus, 2009). These guidelines were suggestions that gave teachers a great amount of freedom to tailor their work for different school situations (Haus, 2009).…”

“…The introduction of the national curriculum meant that the British educational system became centralised with regard to educational process (Haus, 2009;Wilschut, 2010). The national curriculum has been revised periodically and the current one gives teachers more initiative and autonomy than they had initially (The Historical Association, 2008).…”