telling a national story. history teaching and the formation….doc

Telling a National Story History teaching and the formation of national identity. A case study of primary school history teaching in Ireland, 1922-71 Tessa van Keeken  Telling a National Story History teaching and the formation of national identity. A case study of primary school history teaching in Ireland, 1922-71 Master’s thesis, 2006 Tessa van Keeken Supervisors: Language and Culture Studies Faculty of Arts Bob de Graaff Utrecht University Joost Augusteijn The Netherlands Contents Introduction i Part I – Theoretical Background: National Identity and History Teaching Chapter 1: Nations, Nationalism, and National Identity 3 Introduction 3 Nationalism and the Origin of Nation-States 4 The Concept of Nations 6 National Identity 8 The Development of Identity in Children 12 Précis 13 Notes 15 Chapter 2: The Teaching of National History 17 Introduction 17 The National School System 18 The History of Teaching History 20 Debates about the Teaching of National History 22 Historical Facts versus Practical Skills 22 History Teaching and National Identity 24 Inclusive versus Exclusive History Teaching 27 The Teaching of National History and International Relations 27 The Teaching of National History and Internal Relations 29 History Teaching in Post-Conflict Societies 31 The Teaching of National History in Practice 33 Teachers 33 Textbooks 34 Précis 36 Notes 39 Part II – Case Study: History Teaching in Ireland, 1922-1971 Chapter 3: Primary Education – The National School System 45 Introduction 45 Primary Education Prior to the National School System 46 The National School System before Independence, 1831-1922 48 Denominational in all but Name 49 Child-centred Education System 50 Education and the Rise of Nationalism 51 The National School System after Independence, 1922-1971 54 The Gaelicisation of the Education System: the 1920s and 1930s 55 A Time of Conventionalism: the 1940s and