Piotr Majewski - Böcker

This book analyses the relationship between history education and nationalism in the context of the dominant structures of collective memory in Poland. Drawing on original qualitative research with history teachers, it explores the ways in which teachers understand the aims of history teaching and how they teach history, with some contesting or negotiating official and hegemonic nationalist memory projects, while others predominantly reproduce or radicalise them. A study of teachers’ tendencies to approach history through the prism of nationalism, this study reveals a view of history lessons as a means of instilling national identity in students, as the past is constructed in nationalist terms and no contradiction is identified in viewing history as both an objective science and a ‘nationalising’ tool. An examination of the means by which a dominant nationalist discourse is reinforced through historical education, Teaching History, Celebrating Nationalism will appeal to scholars of sociology and education with interests in nationalism and memory studies.

This book analyses the relationship between history education and nationalism in the context of the dominant structures of collective memory in Poland. Drawing on original qualitative research with history teachers, it explores the ways in which teachers understand the aims of history teaching and how they teach history, with some contesting or negotiating official and hegemonic nationalist memory projects, while others predominantly reproduce or radicalise them. A study of teachers’ tendencies to approach history through the prism of nationalism, this study reveals a view of history lessons as a means of instilling national identity in students, as the past is constructed in nationalist terms and no contradiction is identified in viewing history as both an objective science and a ‘nationalising’ tool. An examination of the means by which a dominant nationalist discourse is reinforced through historical education, Teaching History, Celebrating Nationalism will appeal to scholars of sociology and education with interests in nationalism and memory studies.

This book analyses right-wing memory politics in Poland through the concept of "cursed soldiers" as a key memory symbol, and how it has been used to construct a narrow and exclusionary vision of Polish identity framed in terms of Catholicism, national culture, and traditional family values.Groundbreaking in its approach and combining top-down study with reception analysis, the book builds on the theory of hegemony, adding emotional dimensions to the understanding of memory politics and nationalism. It provides a detailed case study of Polish memory politics since 2015, when the Law and Justice Party (PiS) came to power, and offers insights into how historical memory is used to mobilise support within nationalist and populist movements. Through a range of data including interviews, participant observation, and analysis of various media, it presents a semiotic and emotional map of how these memory symbols are received and experienced in Polish society. The focus on Podlasie, a region with significant Belarusian population and a history of post-war partisan conflicts, highlights the complex interplay of memory, identity, and politics in contemporary Poland.This work is intended for a broad audience, including undergraduates, postgraduates, scholars, and non-specialist readers such as booksellers or librarians.The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution‑Non Commercial‑No Derivatives (CC‑BY‑NC‑ND) 4.0 license.