Colloquium: Al-Andalus in Syrian and German Versions of History

The Syrian refugees who have arrived in Germany since 2015 were socialised under a dictatorial system. As a result, they transport the knowledge and historical interpretations conveyed in their textbooks to German schools and universities. Becoming aware of this different historical view, shaped by Arab nationalism, is at the heart of Franziska Proskawetz’s study of Syrian and German textbooks, which she will present in a lecture. In addition to her textbook analysis, she uses a quantitative survey of young Syrian refugees to look at their attitude towards one particular topic: the history of Moorish Spain. She will conclude with recommendations for how to address this understanding of history in schools.