Observatory of History Teaching in Europe -Some interesting facts-

The observatory derives from an Enlarged Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe, composed of 18 member states and 2 observer states, being created in November 2020 at the initiative of the French government. Its vision has as its motto "Teaching history, cementing democracy", and its objective is to promote quality historical education to improve the understanding of democratic culture among young people.

This task is carried out mainly through two types of publications:

• Reports on the state of history teaching.
• Thematic reports that explore specific areas of interest and their approach in history classes.

The Observatory of History Teaching in Europe (OHTE) has a Scientific Advisory Board, composed of 11 experts from various geographical regions and professional backgrounds.

As part of the Council of Europe, they subscribe to the values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. 

 Summary of selected articles (to view the article in its original site, click on the title).

General report on the state of history teaching in Europe.

 The general reports of the Observatory of History Teaching in Europe (OHTE) are longitudinal studies that examine how history is taught from a wide variety of angles, using a methodology developed by the Observatory's Scientific Advisory Council. The first OHTE General Report on the state of history teaching in Europe was prepared by a group of experts made up of academics and history teachers in close cooperation and coordination with the SAC and was published in December 2023. While the first report provides a static picture of the current state of history education in OHTE member states, as more overview reports are produced, they will make this picture more dynamic, allowing for a longitudinal overview of history education that can reveal changes and developments over time. The report includes a comparative analysis, country profiles and a technical appendix.

 Pandemics and natural disasters, as reflected in the teaching of history.

 Despite the death and devastation they caused in societies, events such as pandemics and natural disasters receive little attention in the teaching of history. This is because, traditionally, the teaching of history focused almost exclusively on political and national history and focused on the construction and transmission of a positive national narrative designed to instill feelings of loyalty to one's country and reinforce notions of group belonging and identity. A similar lack of attention to these issues can also be seen in academic history, where studies of pandemics and natural disasters have, until recently, been considered specialized rather than general topics.