Form or substance? weighing critical skills against identity narratives in history education

Abstract

History education has broad significance beyond the delivery of knowledge of the past. History is a form of knowledge, consisting of its particular criteria of truth. As identity narratives, history is also a societal asset. The international community of history educators conducts an ongoing debate on which should be the core of history education, the critical skills of dealing with evidence, or the historical consciousness of the interconnectedness of the past, present, and future. The chapter refers to empirical investigations to the potential of history in fulfilling the alternative pursuits and ends up with a judgment of their relevance in the ‘post-truth era.’