Tomorrow's narrative: (re)imagining history education in 2030

The distortion of historical facts for political gain is a major threat, leading to the spread of war in Europe and globally. Many armed conflicts are triggered by manipulated historical narratives, shaping how people view themselves and others, as friends or enemies. While public spending on weapons is widely discussed in politics, the weaponisation of history is often overlooked. A key question by 2030 will be how can we make history education more effective to establish the foundations for democracy and peace?

First of all, history education needs to change from presenting a single perspective to offering multiple views on events and their impacts on all affected sides. This shift fosters a more nuanced understanding of each other and critically engages with the past and present. For instance, national histories often exclude or minimise the diverse historical experiences of women and individuals from different ethnic backgrounds or social statuses, which helps explain the lack of respect and fair treatment these groups receive today. By integrating diverse voices, history classrooms can enrich discourse and empower students to critically engage with history.

Democratising history also involves revisiting Eurocentric perspectives and addressing historical injustices. By acknowledging and confronting colonial legacies and other sensitive histories, classrooms can become arenas for reconciliation and understanding.

These different approaches are not only better but also necessary to empower students as future leaders to challenge prevailing narratives that perpetuate conflict, division and inequality.

Secondly, history education should use its potential to strengthen learners’ abilities to deal with the most urgent challenges of our times. The integration of interdisciplinary learning, combining natural sciences, economics, politics, civic education, is especially important in this light. For example, teaching history during times of immense environmental and technological change requires understanding the interplay between the economic exploitation of nature and the resulting environmental impacts. With this approach, students can grasp the connection between the profound impact of human actions on global ecosystems in the past and the environmental change on societies today.

Furthermore, studying the causes and effects of economic crises in history, and the different approaches taken to overcome them and their outcomes, enhances learners' ability to understand the economic crises that have repeatedly shaken Europe since 2008. This knowledge helps students grasp the associated risks and make informed decisions based on historical experiences and values when seeking effective solutions to tackle them.

Thirdly, in addition to its potential to tackle the ecological and economic crises of our times, history education should also confront the political crisis of democracy that we are currently facing. The distortion of historical facts for political gain became a core strategy of anti-democratic projects and regimes, threatening to undermine the foundations of democracy and peace. Therefore, strengthening learners’ capacities to combat misinformation and disinformation must become a pivotal element of history education. In an era saturated with digital media, students must cultivate media literacy skills, enabling them to discern fact from fiction.

At the heart of this vision for change in history education lies the creation of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe. By identifying and promoting good practices in history education, the Observatory ensures that Member States uphold established norms, criteria and methodologies used in history education and the pedagogies involved in teaching history. These standards ensure that historical knowledge is accurately researched and interpreted with honesty, and that multiple fact-based interpretations are conveyed to students and the broader public.

For instance, the Observatory’s first thematic report dealt with pandemics and natural disasters as reflected in history teaching. The findings showed that both teachers and students are very interested in these topics and how they can contribute to societal resilience in facing contemporary challenges, despite the fact they are currently under-represented in curricula and textbooks. With similar intention, the second thematic report deals with economic crises in history teaching. In parallel, the HISTOLAB hub, a transnational history education and cooperation laboratory, provides innovative practices and projects, including the upcoming Toolkit to debunk fake news in history classes.

Looking ahead to 2030, the imperative for history education is clear: it must serve as a bastion of critical thinking, inclusivity and democratic values. By embracing innovation in pedagogy, integrating diverse perspectives and confronting historical biases, history education can empower students to navigate an increasingly complex world with integrity and resilience. This transformative vision demands sustained commitment from policymakers, educators and civil society to realise its full potential in shaping a future rooted in democratic principles and global understanding.