The “First Poland” (Tenth–Eighteenth Century) in Current Flemish History Textbooks for Secondary Education: Inclusion or Exclusion in a Eurocentric Curriculum?

Abstract

Flemish history education is very Western-oriented and takes a Eurocentric view on the past. The question then raises how “Europe” is defined. Polish history (from the tenth century to 1795) is used as a case study to examine whether “Europe” is meant as the whole continent, or especially Western Europe. Four currently used textbook series for general secondary school history education in Flanders have been studied, via a narrative content analysis and a discourse analysis. Results clearly show that Eurocentrism in Flemish history textbooks can be understood as a quasi-sole Western European orientation, and as Western Europe serving as the standard to judge other societies upon. Furthermore, it is argued that the case of Polish history can serve as a pars pro toto for almost all non-Western European regions. The implications of this representation are far-reaching, as it affects students’ understanding of the past, their historical thinking skills, and their identity-building. The inclusion of multi-perspectivity in history education to go beyond Eurocentrism is substantiated, and discussed afterwards, both in general and via specific strategies.