Vart ska vi börja - Karl XII, Mehmet IV eller Timur Lenk? : En studie av lärares tankar kring historieundervisning i det mångkulturella klassrummet

Sammanfattning

The primary aim of this essay is to study teachers' views on different problems that occur in a modern, multicultural classroom where history as a school subject is taught. The method was to perform semi-structured interviews with teachers, and discuss problems surrounding relation, causes, and solutions related to problems such as eurocentrism. As guiding theories, Ania Loombas' thoughts about post-colonial studies, Kenneth Nordgren's 'intercultural skills' and ‘historical empathy" were used. Seven interviews were conducted, and the results show a variety of views. Most of the teachers thought that the eurocentric perspective was a distinct and thought-provoking element in the classroom. Some argued that the perspective was logical and didn’t cause any significant harm to the pupils. All the teachers could, in different ways, relate to the stated problems. The main causes, according to the teachers, were a lack of knowledge regarding non-European history and a lack of time (few teaching hours). The study showed that teachers need to utilize their own creativity and invest time in in-service learning to develop an education that prepares pupils for a global, multicultural society. To enable this, the regulatory documents need to be clearer regarding how other kinds of history are taught to the pupils. The teachers also asked for new and modern teaching materials.