Jaroslav Najbert

““You look at it this way, boy.”You look at it this way, boy.”

How to teach descendants of How to teach descendants of the orderly citizens of real-the orderly citizens of real-socialist Czechoslovakia?socialist Czechoslovakia?

History and Memory. The Soviet Past - 1953-1990

2011 November 28-29

TeachingTeaching history history1. Traditional believe of many historians and public:1. Traditional believe of many historians and public: TeachersTeachers are popularisers of the historical science are popularisers of the historical science PPupilsupils reproduce the facts of the past reproduce the facts of the past

2. Reality of modern class:2. Reality of modern class: Interpretative subject,Interpretative subject, multiperspectivity, multiperspectivity, Interaction with historical cInteraction with historical consciousnessonsciousness

FFamily memory of Communist amily memory of Communist dictatorship in school educationdictatorship in school education

School (teachers, schoolbooks)

X

Family memory

Memory in school educationMemory in school education

1. Cultural memory1. Cultural memory shared within a national

collective official text, pictures, rituals school – one of the major carriers

and mediators of cultural memory

Memory in school educationMemory in school education

2. Communicative (family) memory2. Communicative (family) memory Individual experience of living Individual experience of living

communicatorcommunicator Distinctive family understandning Distinctive family understandning

and interpretation of the pastand interpretation of the past May differ from the cultural May differ from the cultural

memorymemory

Cultural x family memoryCultural x family memory

Cultural memory, August 1968 Family memory, August 1968

What shall we teach according What shall we teach according to curriculum?to curriculum?

History is „the cultivation of the individual historical consciousness and the effort to maintain the continuity and historical memory, especially in terms of passing on historical experience.“

Framework Educational Program (FEP), Ministry of education, 2007

Cultural memory in educationCultural memory in education

the formation of positive civic attitudes developing a consciousness of belonging to

European civilization and culture promoting the adoption of the values on

which contemporary democratic Europe is founded (FEP)

MEMORY OF POLITICAL PRISONERS AND OPPONENTS OF COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP

My students – mostly My students – mostly descedndants of olderly citizensdescedndants of olderly citizens

Research of the family memoryResearch of the family memory

Germany

Harald Welzez et al.

Opa war kein Nazi: Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust im Familiengedächtnis (2002)

Research of the family memoryResearch of the family memory

Czech RepublicCzech Republic

Institute for the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Study of Totalitarian RegimesRegimes

Oral historical project for schools

“Velké a malé příběhy moderních dějin” Great and small stories of modern history

Great and small stories of Great and small stories of modern historymodern history

Confront „great history“ (schoolbooks, TV) with „small history“ (family memories)

Three parts: methodological and motivational

schooling for students, realization of interviews final analysis and interpretation

Characteristics of the projectCharacteristics of the project

Researched era 1968-1989:Prague Spring - Normalization (era of

neostalinism) - Velvet Revolution

220 interviews

Ministry of Education grant support

Characteristics of the sampleCharacteristics of the sample

Collection does not represent Collection does not represent balanced sample of memories of pre-balanced sample of memories of pre-1989 Czechoslovak society (not our 1989 Czechoslovak society (not our intention)intention)

Collection freely available on the Collection freely available on the website of our Institute website of our Institute

Above-average share of university Above-average share of university absolvents and secondary-school-absolvents and secondary-school-educated wintesseseducated wintesses

Conclusions?Conclusions?

Specific function of family story telling - an interview within the family becomes a medium for creating an image of the past

May be more powerfull than school books

Not common description of the past! – evaluation, experience, influence the interviewer

TThe period of Communist he period of Communist dictatorship dictatorship not not uniformlyuniformly recalled recalled

negative evaluation prevails minority nostalgically neutral cases of obvious ostalgie and

positive evaluation of the theory and practice of regime of state socialism.

LLack of conflict remembering in the ack of conflict remembering in the familiesfamilies

Not clear willingness to challenge moral attitudes or values of family members in the times of real-socialism

Communists have disappeared from the families

The personal responsibility is often downplayed or externalized with reference to the nature of the time or regime

Examples of nonconflict story Examples of nonconflict story telling/receivingtelling/receiving

Merely exceptional spontaneous confession of a membership in the Communist Party

„Who doesn‘t steal, robs his family“ No challenging of the fact that

relatives repeatedly lied on public or acted contrary to their conscience (elections, public rituals, etc.)

ThesesTheses

Students accept the anticommunist attitudes prevailing in the cultural memory

- condemnation of injustice, restriction of freedoms, undemocratic communist dictatorship

The relatives are not seen as active bearers of values and attitudes against which the pupils define

Results?Results?

Communists were bastards but there Communists were bastards but there were no bastards in my family.were no bastards in my family.

„„My grandfather was not a CommieMy grandfather was not a Commie.“.“

Author‘s Alert!Author‘s Alert! We need detailed research and comparison We need detailed research and comparison

within post-communist stateswithin post-communist states Memory of Nacism x Memory of CommunismMemory of Nacism x Memory of Communism

Problem of multiperspectivityProblem of multiperspectivity

Different family memories – different Different family memories – different pespectives of evaluationpespectives of evaluation

Anticommunist Czech cultural memory accepted by many families

X Minority personal memories of times

of social stability and orderly life

How to teach students with How to teach students with nonconform family tradition?nonconform family tradition?

“You're wrong boy, your reflection of the past is false, you have to look at

it this way.”

Absolute authority doesn‘t work in praxis

Tolerance in modern education Confront perspectives, not discredit

Thank you for your attention Thank you for your attention