In talking about globalization, which is frequently and falsely conceived of as merely a phenomenon of the 20th century, it cannot be overlooked that thought in individual nations has lost as good as nothing in its strength to structure orientation. Nations effectively assert themselves not only in the reality of political and military conflict, but also in the way we structure our mindsets.

National conflicts, often overlaid with ethnic conflicts, have, sadly, been prosperous in parts of the world. The nation as concept and as structured reality has come under fire from within as well as from without. Through world history instruction, it is attempted to convey an outward looking understanding of the world (and the history of the nation in which instruction takes place). This has multifaceted implications for the understanding of history as well as for the self-perception of those teaching and learning. Those involved still introduce history (as do most people) as an accumulation and continuity of national history. Indeed, on the one hand, the meaning of supranational coherences grows uninterrupted. On the other hand, in the last 20 years the relevance of group-histories (social, gender and peer strata and ethnic groups) at the national level has become consistently more important.

History as an answer to present globalizing structures, and as an attempt to comprehend these structures, is becoming more important in schools and universities. This has already precipitated changes in school and university curricula in the USA. In 1994 national standards for high schools were developed, which led to an aftermath of animated and sharp conflicts between various societal groups. These culture wars have even hit Congress (for general information on the National Standards debate see: Gary Nash, Charlotte Crabtree, and Ross E. Dunn, “History on Trial. Culture Wars and the Teaching of the Past” (New York: Knopf, 1997) and Paul Nolte, "Ein Kulturkampf um den Geschichtsunterricht. Die Debatte um die 'National Standards' in den USA [A Culture War on History Lessons. The Debate About the ‘National Standards’ in the USA]" in: Geschichte in Wissenschaft und Unterricht 48 (1997): 512-32). In the United States world history courses in colleges and in high schools are made into traditional courses covering rivalries in western civilization.

This has something to do with both the changing of “the world” itself (and the necessity to comprehend this) as well as with that numerous ethnic groups in US society neither can nor want to recognize the euro-centric self-image of “white America” or Europe-fixated stories of the origin of the United States. They are not longer willing to embrace the European roots of the USA as their own or as the entire history.

The reaction to this in the USA is inconsistent: many fear a fragmentation of historical understanding; others embrace it as a long due relativization and pluralization. It is also to be expected that in the coming years world history will become ever more important in Europe as well. To the extent to which European societies also conceive of themselves increasingly as immigration societies, an ethnically pluralizing understanding of history will also catch on, for which “world history” is a possible answer. A few German states have already integrated a “one world” approach in new curricula.

Time Period: 2002-2005

Cooperation Partners:

• Professor Dr. Susanne Popp
• PD Dr. Matthias Middell
• Dr. Peter Lautzas

Publications

• Hanna Schissler, „World History: How to Comprehend the Present“, (in Chinese) in: Academic Research, Fudan University Shanghai, no 3, 2005, pp. 83-92
• Hanna Schissler and Yasemin Nohoglu Soysal: „The Nation, Europe and the World. Textbooks in Transition“, New York: Berghahn Books 2005
• Hanna Schissler, „World History: Making Sense of the Present“, in: The Nation, Europe and the World. Textbooks in Transition, co-editor with Yasemin Nohoglu Soysal, New York: Berghahn Books, 2005, pp. 228-45
• Hanna Schissler, „Weltgeschichte als Geschichte der sich globalisierenden Welt“, in: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte. Beilage zur Wochenzeitung Das Parlament, vol. 1/2005, pp. 3-10 http://www.bpb.de/popup/popup_druckversion.html?guid=O1AVSF
• Hanna Schissler, „Weltgeschichte als Zeitgeschichte. Orientierungsbedürfnisse der Gegenwart am Beispiel der USA und Deutschlands“, in: Curriculum Weltgeschichte. Globale Zugänge für den Geschichtsunterricht, edited by Susanne Popp and Johanna Förster, Schwalbach: Wochenschau, 2003, pp. 173-95
• Matthias Middell, Susanne Popp and Hanna Schissler, „Weltgeschichte im deutschen Geschichtsunterricht. Argumente und Thesen“, in: Internationale Schulbuchforschung/International Textbook Research, vol. 24. 2003, pp. 149-54
• Hanna Schissler, „Der eurozentrische Blick auf die Welt. Außereuropäische Geschichten und Regionen in deutschen Schulbüchern und Curricula“ (expert's report for the Office of the Federal President), in: Internationale Schulbuchforschung/International Textbook Research, vol. 24. 2003, pp. 155-66

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