Holocaust Education in Schools in the 21st Century

From 7-8 July, the University of Loughborough and the National Holocaust Centre will hold a conference entitled "A Primary or Secondary Concern? Holocaust Education in Schools in the 21st Century: Current Practices, Potentials and Ways Forward."

The conference seeks to establish the potential of Holocaust education in relation to primary school children. Whilst knowledge of the practice of Holocaust education has made impressive strides, most studies are based on teaching children from ages 11 onwards (for example, secondary school children in the UK). Learning at primary age in general and the engagement with the Holocaust in particular, remain comparatively unexplored. Whilst there is a rapidly growing number of Holocaust exhibitions and memorial sites worldwide, provisions for primary school children are far and between.

This is a crucial time of increased interest and demand in regards to Holocaust education. The establishment of the National Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January has led to greater numbers of primary teachers in and outside Europe opting to include the Holocaust in their teaching programmes. Some countries, like the UK, see the Holocaust as an integral part to teaching the values of British society and aim to invigorate Holocaust education (Prime Minister David Cameron, January 2015). In other countries the Holocaust is a mandatory topic in primary schools, for example in France and in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the difficulties encountered when trying to impart specific values to children aged 11 and older – values relating to citizenship and human rights – suggests the need to begin Holocaust education at primary school level.

For more information click here.

Chris Szejnmann

Loughborough University

c [dott] w [dott] szejnmann[at] lboro [dott] ac [dott] uk