Special Episode: Contested Histories with Alex Gonzalez Diaz

This podcast by Maastricht University student Alex Gonzalez Diaz discusses contested historical sites, Syncretismo in Guadalajara (2017), and Monumento al Mestizaje (Malinchismo) (1982) in Mexico City. It provides context and history of the monuments, introduces the actors involved in the contestation, and explores themes of syncretism and ethnic hybridisation. Syncretismo by Ismeal Varjas combines indigenous Aztec imagery with Mexican Catholic iconography, which created backlash and calls for the misuse of public funds after its inauguration. Monumento al Mestizaje was unveiled in 1982, created by Spanish-born artist Julian Martinez Soras, and was quietly relocated to a hidden park due to public disapproval. Monumento al Mestizaje depicts Mexico's infamous conquistador, Hernán Cortés, and his indigenous translator, viewed as the original traitor, La Malinche. Through analysing both sides of the contestation and the themes of syncretism and ethnic hybridisation, these public monuments explore questions of unity and identity as well as leftover legacies of settler colonialism within Mexico.

Contested Histories co-director Marie-Louise Jansen and Timothy Ryback, Director of the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation, joins our podcast to celebrate 10 years of the Contested Histories intiative. The intiative, now hosted at EuroClio, maps contestations and controversies over statues, memorials, street names and other representations of disputed historical legacies in public spaces. Together, our guests reflects on the origins of the initiative, the different kinds of contestetations and remedies that the intiative maps, and their use for (history) educators.

Stefania Gargioni and Maria Vlachaki, history educators in Paris and Thessaloniki, join the podcast to talk about their ongoing work for EuroClio's Moving Europe project. The two are making a step-by-step guide for teachers on how they can collaborate with (migration) museums in taking history outside of the classroom.

Simona Stankutė joins our podcast to talk about her recent residency with EuroClio and the work done by her colleagues at the Lithuanian History Teachers' Association creating an alternative history curriculum. We talk about challenges of overcrowded curricula , the steps needed to change a curriculum, and how teachers in Lithuania are in dialogue with the government in shaping the future of history teaching there.

Em. prof. dr. Judith Pace (University of San Francisco, USA) joins our podcast to talk about her research on teaching controversial topics, notably her latest academic work in South Africa, while also sharing some tips and recommendations for teachers. Judy's latest article, Deliberative dialogues with preservice teachers in Bosnia-Herzegovina and South Africa using a gradient of controversy approach, discussed in the podcast episode, was published shortly after this podcast.

In this episode Andreas Holtberget speaks with Jessica Ellison from the National Council for History Education in the United States. They talk about the challenges arising from Trump's re-election, from defunding of education and the chilling effects of his many executive orders to book banning and teacher solidarity in response.

In this episode, Andreas Holtberget speaks with Jonathon Dallimore, Executive Officer for the History Teachers' Association of New South Wales (HTANSW) on his recently published book, 'Teaching History: A Practical Guide for Secondary School Teachers'.

Andreas Holtberget is joined by Dominic Studer to talk about global history and why we should teach it. Dominic has over the last few years been working on a project titled Globalgeschichtliche Perspektiven im Schweizer Geschichtsunterricht (Global perspectives in Swiss History Education) and he shares some of the findings and results of this project. How did the Swiss teachers involved "globalise" the topics they teach and what did their students make of it all?

In this episode, we speak with Melanie Rowntree from the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford (UK) about the challenges of properly contextualising a museum collection with a strong colonial legacy. What to do with contested or questionable labels or object descriptions? How to involve affected communities whose objects are exhibited?

We are joined by the head of the Historiana Content Team ⁠Dr. Robert Stradling⁠ to talk about his new project on migration history. The topic is highly present in contemporary political discourse and therefore, Bob argues, crucial to teach in order to make history feel relevant for today's students. Bob has a long track record with EuroClio and has also worked extensively in the past with the Council of Europe on history education and we also discuss with him how he sees the developments in history education in the last decades and where we are today.