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Editorial
Per-Olof Erixon, Editor
Every issue of Education Inquiry publishes peer-reviewed articles in one, two or
three different sections. In our Open section, articles are sent in by authors as part
of regular journal submissions and published after a blind review process. In our
Thematic section, articles may reflect the theme of a conference or workshop and are
published after a blind review process. We also have an Invited section with articles
by researchers invited by Education Inquiry to shed light on a specific theme or for
a specific purpose and they are also published after a review process. This issue of
Education Inquiry contains both a Thematic section and an Open section, bringing
a total of 10 articles.
Thematic section
The Thematic section is entitled “History Textbook Research and Revision”, contains
five articles and is edited by Professor Daniel Lindmark, Umeå University, Sweden
and Dr Stuart Foster, a Reader at the Institute of Education, University of London,
England.
In “Dominant Traditions in International Textbook Research and Revision”, Foster
establishes the framework of the thematic section by examining the field of textbook
research, which he finds very limited. He identifies two categories or “traditions”
that are often interrelated and overlapping, which he calls conciliatory tradition and
critical tradition.
In “Connections in the History of Textbook Revision, 1947-1952”, Romain Faure
focuses on connections between textbook revision forums between 1947 and 1952 and
examines the interrelations between the textbook activities of UNESCO, the World
Movement of Trade Unions, the international historian conferences in Speyer and
two Franco-German co-operation projects.
In “UNESCO and Council of Europe Guidelines, and History Education in Sweden,
c. 1960-2002”, Thomas Nygren compares the international recommendations for
history education issued by UNESCO and the Council of Europe with the construing
of history in national guidelines, teachers’ perceptions and the results of students’
work in History in Sweden.
In “The Meaning and Use of ‘Europe’ in Swedish History textbooks, 1910-2008”,
Henrik Åström Elmersjö explores the different meanings of “Europe” in Swedish
history textbooks over the course of the 20th century.
In “Nation-Building in Kenyan Secondary School Textbooks”, Janne Holmén
investigates how issues of national, Pan-African and tribal identities are handled in
Kenyan upper secondary school textbooks for History and Government.
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