Textbook Conflicts

Conflicts about textbooks have occurred worldwide in recent years as far a field as Southeast Asia, the USA, Israel and Switzerland. They have generally been carried out in the media. The object of these conflicts, which involve either states or different groups within society, has been the 'correct' interpretation of historical events and the attempt to determine (national) self-understanding, as well as the 'appropriate' way of representing material that is considered to be problematical.

When textbooks are perceived as objects of conflict, it is important to grasp the positions of opponents. We also need to address questions concerning the people involved, the unfolding of the conflict, and the relation of textbook conflicts to broader social and political contexts. Up to now, projects focussed on East Asia, South Asia and Moldova. Together with additional regional and case studies, therefore, these studies form the basis for comparative analyses which attempt to grasp the meaning of specific aspects of such conflicts such as the role of media and the international connections between discourses and people involved.