Teaching Controversial Historical Issues

Abstract

After a discussion of the rationale behind teaching controversial issues and the differences between historical controversies and social issues, this chapter turns to the practice of teaching controversial historical issues. We discuss various types of controversy and the specific aspects of historical understanding they address, difficulties that may arise when teaching multiple perspectives on a controversial issue, and several solutions to these problems. Finally, we emphasize the importance of context when teaching controversial historical issues. We consider the ways in which perhaps daunting contexts, such as global society, diverse classrooms, and museums and heritage institutions, may enable the meeting of conflicting narratives and stimulate the teaching of controversial historical issues.