The Recent History Teaching in the Political Function of Education: The Macro Public Policies on Memory and the Construction of Citizenship

Abstract

The relationship between the recent public policies on memory linked to the dictatorships from 1960 to 1980 in the Southern Cone and the disciplinary curricular renewal of History curricula and programs in Uruguay, inspired this article. The controversial contents of the recent past and the violation of human rights, responsibility of the dictatorial State (1973-1984) were discussed in the classroom. The analysis of these episodes showed challenges and difficulties for the teachers and the educational system. From resistance to address the recent past for fear of confronting the families’ versions or violating secularism, to defiant strategies, their approach revealed a still traumatic past for Uruguayan society. To examine how it was taught in 3rd year high school history, qualitative research was used, based on “the case study” . Classroom observation, analysis of the teacher’s documentation and interviews with three teachers revealed that they accepted the challenge, selecting and developing a variety of strategies, incorporating family testimonies, promoting debate and reflection and emphasizing both on the construction of critical citizenship and on local history.