This dissertation focuses on the presentation of the mutual relationship of history and memory. It asks questions relating to the increasing interest in the memory. Concerning the memory, we want to draw the attention to the fact that the memory tends to democratize the past and broadens the possibilities of themes of the past in a very prominent way even outside the traditional historiography.The work is attentive to memory controlling in the undemocratic environments not forgetting to mention abusing of the memory in the democratic regimes too. Special attention is paid to the twisted memories of the shoah. The focus of this dissertation is therefore the memories of the shoah survivors. The key elements of the testimonies, which are pursued in this work, are thus questions in relation with the shoah survivors and their own memories and remembering, their motivation for talking about the past or clarifying the reasons which led them to being silent for years and years about their war experiences. To investigate the communication memory of the shoah survivors, "memory shoah literature" was used, together with visual archives of the oral history USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education. The work reflects about the historical knowledge brought to the recipients of the film...

This research overview aims to clarify and specify the term intercultural competence, as well as to distinguish which terms and concepts researchers use in tandem with this. Further, this research overview aims to examine how intercultural competence can be understood in the context of history education. Both from a theoretical, didactical perspective - and from a practical perspective. In other words, this research overview is akin to a three-stage rocket. First, key concepts and theories are introduced; secondly, the application of intercultural competence in relation to history didactics are examined; and lastly, the practical possibilities for the aforementioned application are presented. The method used to conduct this research overview study has been information searching. The three databases that were used are ERIC, SwePub, and DiVA. ERIC was used to ensure a rich collection of international research; SwePub and DiVA were used to collect research that portray Swedish conditions. Additional research and literature has been used, in consultation with our mentor. The key conclusions gathered from the results of this study are as follows: this field of research originated on the American continent - following the civil rights movement. In an anglo-american context, the term “multicultural education” is most commonly used. The research field has striking similarities with the field known as “critical pedagogy” - with an emphasis on reforming the educational institutions as such. The application of intercultural competence within history education and Jörn Rüsen’s three narrative competencies are not only plausible - but can be seen as dimensions of one-another. Lastly, this research overview shows how intercultural historical competence can be applied in real classroom situations - more research is needed on this particular point.

The aim with this research is to investigate how knowledge about the Holocaust is expressed in history teaching. The method we have used in this essay is to examine how others have researched this subject. We have used different research articles and articles from different countries, this is because teaching about the holocaust is not limited to just Sweden.There is a lot of research concerning the holocaust, but there are not many articles that relates to the specific topic that we had, so we had to narrow our articles down. We choose articles that focused on teaching and teaching materials, either by books or visiting a historical place connected to the holocaust. As we can see in the conclusion, most nations teach about the holocaust in different ways. This is because they have different historical backgrounds, and they have different ways on how to approach the holocaust.

Swedish society has changed since the 20th century and a classroom today looks very different. The multi - cultural society has grown and in step with the growth, one can today shed light on various obstacles and problems in the teaching of the Swedish subject of history.  To get an overview of how the research is done, we have chosen to look at teaching strategies, history didactics and multiculturalism in the classroom. Among other things, we will delve into narrative orientation, social science orientation and more perspective orientation in history teaching.  The databases we have chosen to use are ERIC - EBSCO, ERC Education Research Complete and SwePub. We justify our search for research through databases such as ERIC and ERC because we wanted to include an international aspect in the knowledge overview in order to be able to follow history teaching in other countries besides Sweden.  Something that is common to all research is the lack of governing documents that are not adapted to the multicultural society. One consequence of this is that the countries’ historical canons and syllabi are not updated either. The material is limited to the local area and makes it difficult to bring new perspectives into the teaching, as well in Sweden as internationally.  Our overview of research leads us to the conclusion that the students are in need of teaching that contributes to a broader historical awareness, so that the student in question can analyze and reflect from several different perspectives.

Med utgångspunkt i det förnyade politiska intresse för historieundervisningens innehåll, som följde på regeringens informationssatsning ”Levande historia”, undersöks bilden av 1900-talets folkmord i ett antal läroböcker i historia för gymnasiet från 1990-talet och början av 2000-talet, med särskild tonvikt på vilket urval författarna gör samt vilka förklaringar som presenteras till att de kunde äga rum. Även principerna för urvalet av det kunskapsstoff som förmedlas samt möjliga konsekvenser av detta diskuteras. Den kvalitativa textanalysen utgår från teoretiska begrepp som historiemedvetande och historiebruk, med vissa referenser till orientalismperspektiv som diskuterats i tidigare forskning. Undersökningen visar att styrdokumentens inflytande över läromedlens framställning har ökat sedan 1994 och att förändringen också tagit sig uttryck i en renodling av det europeiska perspektivet i urvalet samt i ett ökat intresse för i första hand Förintelsen, både före och efter 1997 då ”Levande historia” initierades. / With the renewed political interest in the content of history teaching in Sweden as a point of departure, this study deals with how the genocides of the 20th century are represented in Swedish history textbooks, aimed at pupils aged 16-19 years, from the 1990ies and the beginning of the 21st century. The analysis revolves around such theoretical concepts as history-awareness and uses of history, with certain references made to the concept of orientalism, that has been discussed in previous research. The study concludes that the influence of policy makers over the contents of the history textbooks has increased since 1994, which has resulted in a larger emphasis on the European perspective and the Holocaust.

The topic of this study is multiperspectivity, a concept in history didactics denoting a way and predisposition to view history through many different perspectives, with regards to, among other things, historical people, events, and historiography. Using multiperspectivity in history education not only reveals the varied ways in which history is constructed, but also exposes the history of peoples previously marginalized in historical narratives, such as women, children, the poor, and various ethnic groups. Using a content analysis and coding scheme, the study examines the representtation of the era of the Swedish empire in five history textbooks for upper secondary school in Sweden. Textbooks are an important part of teaching, and as research material they can provide insight into how a given subject may be represented, which in turn makes it possible to analyse the implications of that representation. The study finds that the textbooks varied considerably regarding their multiperspectivity. Some included the perspectives of peasants, women, immigration, and the effects of religion on society, while others did not, and were instead noticeably more limited in their perspectivity. All textbooks did however focus heavily on military and political matters. The various wars Sweden was engaged in, as well as the kings – particularly Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII – receive most attention throughout the texts, while other perspectives are, more or less depending on the textbook, given far less attention. Furthermore, the texts themselves are most often framed as a narrative of the rise and fall of an empire. These findings are in many ways congruent with previous research on history textbooks, and together with previous research on multiperspectivity, the study shows the complexity of applying this concept to history education.

This study examines how history teachers in upper secondary schools approach the teaching of contemporary history, focusing on the period from 1991 to the present. The aim is to investigate the content of this teaching, the motivations behind it, and the perceived opportunities and challenges. Using Ronald W. Evans' typology of historical perspectives, the study also seeks to identify which views of history are most prevalent in contemporary history teaching. Data was collected through a combination of surveys and semi-structured interviews with history teachers. The results reveal that the teaching of contemporary history differs from regular history instruction, with a stronger emphasis on global events and conflicts. Teachers with a relativistic view of history, who promote a global perspective and prioritises students' interests, are particularly advantaged using contemporary history in this context. In contrast, those with a narrative perspective, who prefer a chronological and Eurocentric approach, face more challenges, particularly regarding time constraints and the use of materials. The study highlights that teachers' selection of topics and methods is heavily influenced by students' interests and current societal debates, contrasting with the more rigid structure of traditional history teaching. Overall, contemporary history teaching enhances students' historical consciousness by connecting past events with current issues, although it requires students to have a foundational understanding of the historical events discussed. The study concludes that a relativistic perspective is best suited for teaching contemporary history, given its adaptability to current global contexts and its alignment with students' interests.

This study aims to investigate and discuss the role of the German anti-Nazi activist Sophie Scholl within different uses of history in various contexts. Particularly, it intends to investigate how the memory of Sophie Scholl has been brought forward and relayed in different types of sources in the contexts of three different so-called cultures of historical use. The three different cultures: education culture, popular culture and memory culture, have been determined based on research by Klas-Göran Karlsson on the separation and categorisation of the intents and needs behind the usage of historical figures and events.The research questions that have been posed and used as guides for the writing of this study are the following: How has Sophie Scholl been portrayed by the creators in the study's sources, and how can the intention behind the usage be interpreted? And, what tendencies, similarities, and differences can be discerned between the three different historical cultures' portrayal of the image of Sophie Scholl? The artefacts used for the study range from biographies and films to statues as well as a social media account. The study found that, among other things, the using of Sophie Scholl’s memory fills the need for remembering the good within an era of German history often viewed as very dark. Furthermore, the memory of Scholl has been used, to a substantial extent, in order to preserve and highlight an example of an individual of extraordinary courage. Finally, the study also found that although similar characteristics are used and presented, there is also a clear difference in the intentions of the usage of Scholl’s memory as well as the effect said usage gives. / Denna studie syftar till att undersöka och diskutera den tyska antinazistiska aktivisten Sophie Scholls roll inom olika användningar av historia i olika sammanhang. Närmare bestämt avser den att undersöka hur minnet av Sophie Scholl har lyfts fram och brukats i olika typer av källor inom tre olika så kallade historiekulturer. De tre olika kulturerna: utbildningskultur, populärkultur och minneskultur, har bestämts baserat på forskning av Klas-Göran Karlsson om kategoriseringen av avsikter och behoven bakom brukandetav historiska figurer och händelser. Studiens tre frågeställningar, utifrån vilka arbetet har förts, är följande: Hur har Sophie Scholl framställts av framställarna i studens källor, och hur kan intentionen bakom brukandet tolkas? Och, vilka tendenser, likheter och olikheter kan urskiljas mellan de tre olika historiekulturernas framställning av bilden av Sophie Scholl? Artefakterna som användes för studien sträcker sig från biografier och filmer till statyer samt ett instagramkonto. Studien kom, bland annat, fram till att användningen av Sophie Scholls minne uppfyller behovet av att minnas det goda inom en era av tysk historia som ofta ses som mycket mörk. Vidare har minnet av Scholl i stor utsträckning använts för att bevara och lyfta fram ett exempel på en individ med extraordinärt mod. Slutligen fann studien också att även om liknande egenskaper används och presenteras, finns det också en viss skillnad i avsikterna bakom brukandet av Scholls minne samt effekten av framställandet.

This compilation thesis contains an introductory chapter and four original articles. The studies comprising this thesis all concern aspects of how historical culture is constituted in historical media and history teachers’ narratives and teaching. It is argued that the teaching of history is a complex matter due to an internal tension resulting from the fact that history is both a product and a process at the same time. While historical facts, and knowledge thereof, are an important aspect of history, history is also a product of careful interpretation and reconstruction. This study analyses and discusses how history is constituted in history textbooks and popular history magazines, i.e. two common historical media, and in teachers’ narratives and teaching of history. The study finds that the historical media studied generally tend to present history as void of perspective, interpretation and representation, suggesting this to be the culturally warranted form of historical exposition. Moreover, the teachers studied also tend to approach history as if it were not contingent on interpretation and reconstruction. These results indicate that the history disseminated in historical media and history classrooms presents history in a factual way and disregards the procedural aspects of history. Applying the history didactical concepts of historical consciousness, historical culture and uses of history, this thesis argues that an essential aspect of historical understanding is an appreciation of the contextual contingency that characterises history. All history is conceived within a particular context that is pertinent to why and how a certain version of history is constructed. Furthermore, all history is also received within a particular context by people with particular preconceptions of history that are contextually contingent, in the sense that they are situated in a certain historical culture. Readers of historical media are members of societies and are thus affected by how history is perceived and discussed in these contexts. This thesis argues that an awareness of these aspects of history is an important factor for furthering a complex understanding of history that encompasses the tension highlighted above.

The purpose of this study was to analyze and discuss why historical consciousness may be expressed in different ways and possible causes for these differences. High school students' and history student teachers’ answers to a historical test were analyzed in relation to historical consciousness.  The German philosopher of history, Jörn Rüsen, has in numerous publications presented four forms or expressions of narratives and historical consciousness and these have been applied in the analyses. Rüsen’s four main categories of historical consciousness (i.e. traditional, exemplary, critical and genetic) stretch from a simple understanding of history to a more complex one. The main findings here show that expressions of historical consciousness differed significantly among the respondents. In view of these findings, education and age seem to affect respondents’ expressions of historical consciousness. Traditional expressions of historical consciousness were less prominent among history student teachers than among high school students, for instance. Gender differences were also prominent among the respondents: the female respondents manifested exemplary forms of historical consciousness to a higher degree than the male counterparts. There were also big differences among the gender groups as the high school student boys expressed traditional forms of historical consciousness and male history teacher students were more inclined towards a critical historical consciousness. Social background also seemed to influence the expression of historical consciousness to some extent, especially if the parents were university educated. However, some results in this study seem to indicate that social environment is more relevant to explain differences in historical consciousness than social background. For these reasons the school context has been highlighted in this study.