It has only been within recent years that the concept of historical consciousness has been discussed, beginning in the 1970s in Germany. The author notes the broad interest of historical consciousness in history education today, what it means, why it is being discussed now and where it will take the discipline of history. He begins with a discussion of the current state of history teaching and education. It is the general consensus that the purpose of history education today is the formation of informed citizens rather than the creation of a nation state and an established sense of order, inclusion and respect as it has been viewed in the past. Laville then discusses the historical consciousness trend, including the origins, character and the possible uses of the concept for history teaching. In doing so, he also defines the concepts of memory, identity, crisis and globalization and how they relate to the “hard to define” concept of historical consciousness. Laville also discusses how historians have dealt with changes in the field of history, including postmodernism and how it has not only changed their views of the discipline but also those of history teachers, and the development of the notion of “thinking historically.” He concludes with a discussion of whether historical consciousness is solely a European concept and whether historical consciousness can contribute to history education.