Kee, Kevin. “Towards a New World History and Citizenship Course in Quebec.” Canadian Social Studies 38(2) (2004). Accessed March 31, 2011. www.quasar.ualberta.ca/css
In response to claims about the death of Canadian history, this article claims that it is alive and well in Québec. The state of history in the province is charted through the recent release of a new Grade 7 and 8 world history and citizenship course, and the questions it raised about why history is taught in schools. In comparison to other provinces, the Québec Education Program (QEP) includes “Geography, History and Citizenship” as one of its five main “Subject Areas.” The past is considered to be central to an understanding of civic identity, and educators across the country agree that history can play a role in presenting young people with a sense of place in their world. Yet, how do educators define “citizenship?” Will a citizenship built upon "respect" for difference be able to meet the challenges of 2010 and beyond?
To this end, the inclusion of histories outside of the West would allow for more diversity in the stories told about the past. For example, including the importance of Bagdad in the study of the Middle-Ages provides not only an entry-point into the diversity of the past, but also how the contributions from the city were central to developments in the "West." Kee ends by wondering whether educators will take advantage of opportunities to make parallel stories part of the main story.
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