Colonial History, Historical Culture, and Historical-Political Education in NRW
The research project Colonial History, Historical Culture, and Historical-Political Education in NRW, funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the State Agency for Civic Education NRW, brings together history and history didactics to uncover insights into the colonial past of the Rhineland, Westphalia, and East Westphalia-Lippe. Through various educational formats, it encourages an informed public engagement with these histories.
The project’s subfields aim to:
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reconstruct the colonial past of the Rhine and Westphalia from a regional and national perspective across long historical periods,
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analyze contemporary historical cultures in NRW regarding Germany's colonial past, and
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quantitatively and qualitatively assess the knowledge and attitudes of the public toward the colonial legacy. These efforts culminate in
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educational materials and new impulses for historical-political education.
Colonial History
We investigate the connections between the area now known as North Rhine-Westphalia and formerly German-colonized regions in Africa, China, and the Pacific. The research spans the high imperial period, the era of colonial revisionism during the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich, and discourses of decolonization and postcolonial memory in modern NRW.
Historical Culture
Memory is not static; it is shaped, contested, and debated. This project explores contemporary forms of historical consciousness and the varied historical cultures surrounding colonial memory, forgetting, and reconciliation. Both institutional and civil society narratives and perspectives are systematically examined and analyzed.
Historical-Political Education
The project aims not to present a linear pathway from knowledge to education but to invite engagement. Tailored educational materials are developed based on empirical insights into the knowledge levels and attitude patterns of different population groups, supporting diverse educational and competency-building formats.
In NRW
This project comprehensively examines the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Urban centers like Cologne and Dortmund, mid-sized cities such as Bonn and Paderborn, and smaller towns like Monheim am Rhein and Höxter all hold traces of colonial entanglements and their legacies. Efforts toward reckoning with this history are evident across the state.