Civil Society and the Reform of Education About a Recent Past

In this paper, I examine what has been the role of civil society organizations, national and international, in advancing the reform of teaching about a recent past, in countries that have suffered armed conflict or authoritarian rule. In post conflict or post authoritarian contexts, the reform of education emerges as a potential tool to avoid recurrence of violent conflict. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence has highlighted the formative potential of education that can contribute to mediating between contending narratives of the past and to nurture a culture of dialogue across generations. The incorporation of a past of atrocity crimes in educational materials is important to show a State acknowledges and recognizes the suffering of citizens pertaining to a certain social groups or ethnic minorities. History education has the potential to become a tool to transform the relationships among citizens from different groups. However, a disputed recent past is difficult to be incorporated in the curriculum of history education. First, because any formal change to the official account of what happened finds opposition from a still powerful former regime. History textbooks become an area where old and new legitimacies collide. Second, teachers usually lack training and material resources to deal in class with a disputed recent past. It is in this context that initiatives from civil society organizations to promote changes in the content of what is being taught or to upskill teachers can make a difference. Central in this research will be finding whether or not changes in teaching about a recent past at the initiative of civil society are later on formally adopted by the state.