Geoffrey Short

What Makes a Person British? Children's conceptions of their national culture and identity

Summary During the past decade, the cultural restorationist wing of the New Right has sought to impose its own anachronistic and sentimental conception of ‘British culture’ on schools and colleges. This conception, which is little more than a glib celebration of quintessential ‘Englishness’, characterises the national culture in largely monolithic and ethnically undifferen‐tiated terms. Concerned about the possible pernicious effects of educational policies inspired by such thinking, we present the findings of a recently completed ethnographic study of 8‐11 year‐olds’ conceptions of British national culture. Our paper considers the extent to which childrens understanding of this complex form of collective identity may vary with age, and ethnicity. We conclude by exploring the implications of the findings for anti‐racist and multicultural education.

Holocaust Education, Anti-racism and Citizenship.

Abstract In this paper we assess the potential of Holocaust education as a medium for developing ‘maximalist’ notions of citizenship among students of secondary school age. Particular attention is given to the contribution that such teaching can make to the realisation of anti‐racist goals. Because of the dearth of published work in the UK on the effects of learning about the Holocaust, we present the findings of a case study of 14 and 15 year olds’ perceptions of this aspect of curricular provision. The case study, which forms the empirical core of the paper, was undertaken in 1996. The sample, comprising both males and females from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, was drawn form six secondary schools in South East England. The discussion focuses upon: (i) the impact of Holocaust education on the students’ understanding of racism (and, in particular, their ability to recognise and deconstruct stereotypes); (ii) the students’ opinions on the value of Holocaust education in preparing young people for activ...

Anti‐racist Education, Multiculturalism and the New Racism

abstract Little is known about the impact on children in primary schools of what is currently referred to as the new racism. This dearth of research is a major concern, for if young children are influenced by such thinking, the implications for anti‐racist education are considerable. In this paper we present ethnographic data on the development of understanding of British culture and identity among 128 children aged between 8 and 11, drawn from a range of social and ethnic backgrounds. An incipient awareness of the new racism was noted among the older children. In the light of this finding, we advocate an intervention in primary schools involving both conventional anti‐racist education and a reconstructed form of multiculturalism.

Lessons of the Holocaust : A response to the critics

The Holocaust currently forms part of the National Curriculum in England and Wales and is mandatory in several other countries. Its teaching is frequently justified on the grounds of providing a range of important lessons. However, in recent years this claim has met with a growing scepticism, not least because of the persistence of genocide over the past half century. In the course of this article I outline and respond to the views of three historians--Lionel Kochan, Peter Novick and Nicholas Kinloch--who question the social and moral significance of Holocaust education. In contrast to their pessimism I contend that the Holocaust does contain useful lessons, not only for individual students, but for the educational system as a whole.

Teaching the Holocaust: the relevance of children's perceptions of Jewish culture and identity

Abstract The Holocaust is now part of the history curriculum for all 11‐14‐year olds in maintained schools in England and Wales. In this paper it is argued that for the Holocaust to be taught effectively, teachers will need to have some idea of how children within this age group perceive Jewish culture and identity. The empirical core of the paper attempts to go some way towards meeting this need. Seventy‐two children aged between 12 and 14 were interviewed in order to explore their knowledge of Judaism, the nature of any misconceptions they may have about the faith, the extent to which they appreciate the commonalities between Judaism and Christianity and their awareness of anti‐Semitism. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of the findings.

Faith Schools and Social Cohesion: Opening up the Debate

In February 2001, the British government announced its willingness to expand the number of faith schools where there was ‘clear local demand’. Predictably, the decision aroused widespread controversy, with much of the criticism centring on the allegedly divisive nature of such schools; segregated education was seen by some detractors as inevitably posing a threat to social cohesion. This article engages with the charge of divisiveness, arguing the case against inevitability on both theoretical and empirical grounds. In relation to the latter, extensive reference is made to the findings of a recently completed ethnographic study of the way Jewish schools approach cultural diversity.

Adolescent Discourse on National Identity‐‐voices of care and justice? [1]

Summary In her highly publicised polemic, All Must Have Prizes (1996), Melanie Phillips launches a scathing attack upon the British educational establishment and various facets of policy and practice during the past three decades. She is especially critical of progressivism and approaches to teaching and learning supposedly predicated upon relativist principles (e.g. multicultural education). Our own research on primary‐school childrens constructions of British identity (Carrington, B. & Short, G. (1995): What makes a person British? Childrens conceptions of their national culture and identity, Educational Studies, 21, pp. 217‐238) is singled‐out for criticism. We begin this paper with a rejoinder to Phillips. Among other things, we take issue with her defence of an assimilationist approach to the curriculum. In the second part of the paper, we present the findings of a recently completed case‐study of 12‐ and 13‐year‐olds’ constructions of their national identity, which replicates the earlier work (cri...

Who Counts; Who Cares? Scottish Children's Notions of National Identity.

Summary Compared to the literature on childrens racial and ethnic identities, relatively little is known about their understanding of national identity. Such knowledge is necessary if schools are to challenge racism, xenophobia and ethnocentrism effectively. In this paper, we present the findings of a case‐study (undertaken in a mainly‐white Edinburgh primary school) of 9‐11 year‐olds’ understanding of this complex form of collective identity. Particular attention is given to age‐related differences in response. Comparisons are drawn between the Scottish childrens conceptions of their national identity and those of a multiethnic cohort drawn from three English primary schools (in a recently‐completed, parallel investigation by the same authors). We conclude by exploring the policy implications of our data.

Learning from genocide? A study in the failure of Holocaust education

The importance of learning lessons from the Holocaust and from the mass slaughter in Rwanda was recognised in the theme underpinning Britains Holocaust Memorial Day in 2004. This article is principally concerned with the lessons learnt from the Holocaust by a culturally diverse group of students aged 14 to 16. They all attended schools in an outer London borough and were interviewed after taking part in a local event held to mark the 2004 commemoration. The article concludes with a discussion of the main findings of the investigation.

Holocaust Education in Ontario High Schools: An Antidote to Racism?.

The premise underpinning this article is that if the Holocaust is taught well it can help to promote anti-racist goals. The need to realise the Holocausts anti-racist potential is self-evident, but is arguably greatest where conventional anti-racism (aimed at enhancing the life chances of visible minorities) is under threat. Such a situation currently obtains in Ontario, where the right wing Progressive Conservative party was elected to office in June 1995. The uncertain future of anti-racism in the province provides the background to this article. It examines the teaching of the Holocaust in Ontario high schools and reports the findings of a survey carried out among history staff in May 1998. Various ways are suggested in which the teachers involved (and others elsewhere) might alter their approach to the Holocaust in order to strengthen its contribution to anti-racist education.