German-Polish Textbook Commission
German-Polish textbook work is primarily centred on the activities of the joint German-Polish Textbook Commission, which has been based at the Georg Eckert Institute in Germany since 1972. The Commission sees as its main task the correct and factual representation of both countries via a regular, scientific and didactic analysis of German and Polish teaching materials. The Commission was founded by the German and Polish UNESCO Commission and continues to pursue its goal of peace education and international understanding through its current activities.
Historical issues
The historical relationship between Germany and Poland, especially during the 20th century, has been very painful and difficult. This makes it all the more remarkable that since the 1970s both countries have continually cooperated on the topic of school textbooks.
The German-Polish Textbook Commission was founded in 1972 at the initiative of the Commissions for UNESCO of both countries. The goal of this initiative was to come to an agreement about mutual portrayals in history and geography textbooks. The difficult nature of the work of this West German-Polish textbook committee lay in the fact that during the Cold War it constituted one of the few instances of exchange in a time during which any form of "ideological cooperation" was disapproved of from a Marxist-Leninist standpoint.
Even in Germany, the "Recommendations on History and Geography Textbooks in the Federal Republic of Germany and the People's Republic of Poland," which were published in 1976, were quite controversial. However, this controversy was quite productive. It contributed significantly to improving West German attitudes toward Poland. In the course of 30 conferences, sensitive topics pertaining to the history of German-Polish relations were treated, and aspects relevant for the teaching of geography involving both countries were discussed (see: "After the Wende: The German-Polish Textbook Project in Retrospect" by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Klaus Zernack).
Since the mid-1990s, the commission has focused more on topics, which are relevant for the present and even the future. The challenges facing both countries are discussed, rather than bilateral conflicts regarding the past. Questions pertaining to history and geography are examined in light of their possible contributions for solving future problems. For this endeavor to be fruitful, the commission stimulates analyses of the topics under examination, evaluates their portrayal in textbooks, and assesses their didactical potential. This approach has proven valuable in discussing the coexistence of Germans, Poles, and Jews, the topic of borders and border-regions, the meaning of the nation in both societies, the prospect of Polish membership in the European Union, German-Polish "places of memory" as well as transformation processes in (Eastern)Germany and in Poland, and finally, in 2005, the issue of expulsion and resettlement (history) and of Poland and Germany as countries bordering the Baltic area (geography). The thirty-second German-Polish Textbook Conference, which took place from 31 May to 2 June 2006 in Berlin, was devoted to the 'Foreign Policies of Germany and Poland towards Eastern Europe'.
After all, on June 3 and 4, 2009, the thirty-third Textbook Conference in Łódź discussed "History and Neighbourhood. Transnational History as a Challenge for Historical Research and History Didactics" (History) as well as "Land Use Conflicts Between Ecological and Economic Interests in Germany and Poland" (Geography). Programme [PDF] (in German)
Within the framework of this new orientation, the Commission worked out a new manual for history teachers with the aim of complementing and replacing the older "Recommendations." The geographical section of the German-Polish Textbook Commission agreed upon "Suggestions for the Treatment of Germany and Poland in Geography Textbooks of both Countries."
Forthcoming activities
Some results of the German-Polish cooperation on textbooks will be disseminated in teacher seminars. The recently published teachers' manual "Germany and Poland during the 20th Century" will be introduced.
Next event:
German-Polish Textbook Commission, committee meeting, Berlin, 2010
Cooperation partners
Prof. Dr. Müller (Halle), German Chairman of the Textbook Commission,
Prof. Dr. Traba (Berlin), Polish Chairman of the Textbook Commission,
Numerous German and Polish scholars, educationalists and teachers
Publications:
- Robert Maier: Finding a Way out of the Deadlock in German-Polish Dialog on History Textbooks. In: Asia Peace & History Education Institute (ed.): Crossing the Border of Historical Understanding in East Asia. Seoul: Verlag Sunin 2008, 231-243 [in Korean] [see Cover]
- Thomas Strobel and Robert Maier (eds.): Das Thema Vertreibung und die deutsch-polnischen Beziehungen in Forschung, Unterricht und Politik, Hannover: Hahnsche Buchhandlung 2008, 232 pages
- Paweł Migdalski, Edward Wlodarczyk and Robert Maier (eds.): Problematyka przymusowych przesiedleń i stosunków polsko-niemieckich po 1945 roku jako przedmiot badań historicznych i praktyki szkolnej, Szczecin 2007, 164 pages
- Georg Stöber (ed.), Deutschland und Polen als Ostseeanrainer, Hannover: Hahn 2006
- Robert Maier (ed.), Zwischen Zählebigkeit und Zerrinnen. Nationalgeschichte im Schulunterricht in Ostmitteleuropa, Hannover: Hahn 2004
- Georg Stöber (ed.), Der Transformationsprozeß in (Ost-)Deutschland und in Polen, Hannover: Hahn 2003
- Robert Maier (ed.), Die Präsenz des Nationalen im (ost)mitteleuropäischen Geschichtsdiskurs, Hannover: Hahn 2002
- Georg Stöber (ed.), Polen, Deutschland und die Osterweiterung der EU aus geographischen Perspektiven, Hannover: Hahn 2002
- Ursula A.J. Becher, Wlodzimierz Borodziej, Robert Maier (eds.), Deutschland und Polen im 20. Jahrhundert. Analysen - Quellen - didaktische Hinweise, Hannover: Hahn 2001
- Gemeinsame deutsch-polnische Schulbuchkommission - Sektion Geographie, „Hinweise zur Behandlung Deutschlands und Polens in den Geographieschulbüchern beider Länder“, in: Internationale Schulbuchforschung 23 (2001), p. 129-134
- Georg Stöber und Robert Maier (eds.), Grenzen und Grenzräume in der deutschen und polnischen Geschichte. Scheidelinie oder Begegnungsraum? Hannover: Hahn 2000
- Georg Stöber (ed.), „Polen und Deutschland“, Internationale Schulbuchforschung 21 (1999) issue 1
- Heinz Duchhardt, Bogdan Wachowiak, Um die Souveränität des Herzogtums Preußen. Der Vertrag von Wehlau 1657, Hannover: Hahn 1998
- Winfried Schich, Jerzy Strzelczyk, Slawen und Deutsche an Havel und Spree. Zu den Anfängen der Mark Brandenburg, Hannover: Hahn 1997
- Robert Maier und Georg Stöber (eds.), Zwischen Abgrenzung und Assimilation - Deutsche, Polen und Juden. Schauplätze ihres Zusammenlebens von der Zeit der Aufklärung bis zum Beginn des Zweiten Weltkrieges, Hannover: Hahn 1996
The library of the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation makes accessible as a download some documents from the first stage of the Commission's work:
http://library.fes.de/library/netzquelle/deutsch-polnisch/schulbuch.html
Contact:
Robert Maier
#2 E 1.05
Tel.: +49 (0)531 123103-271
Georg Stöber
Main Building Office E 2.12
Tel.: +49 (0)531 59099-55
Thomas Strobel
Branch Office #2 Room 1.01
Tel.: +49 (0)531 123103-272