Brokers of multiperspectivity in history education in post-conflict societies

Abstract

In post-conflict societies marked by strong negative stereotypes or delicate and sometimes unstable political contexts, teaching both knowledge and understanding of conflicting historical narratives has become a matter of educational urgency. Conversely, a framework for effective teacher training that prepares teachers to activate and facilitate the exchange of multiple perspectives has yet to be identified. This qualitative and exploratory research aims to answer the questions, what boundaries do expert teacher trainers believe that teachers in post-conflict societies encounter when brokering multiple perspectives in the classroom? Which teaching or training methods can teacher trainers use to help teachers reduce the impact of these boundaries? To advance the use of multiperspectivity in post-conflict history education and enhance history-teacher training design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve experts in history-teacher training to answer these questions. The expert’s statements were openly and axially coded using Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory as an analytical lens. Identifying ten personal or environmental boundaries to brokering multiperspectivity in the classroom, and two training approaches to help teachers establish continuity between their multiperspectivity training and day-to-day teaching practices. Further providing actionable recommendations for educators, non-governmental organizations, and educational scientists.