This collection aims to fill a gap in the historical consciousness literature by exploring the theoretical dimensions of historical consciousness. This twelve essay collection brings together international scholars to consider the five ‘principles’ needed in historical consciousness discussions as identified by editor Peter Seixas: the relationship between academic and popular history; the role of theory in practice and practice in theory; the imperative to compare and diverge in cross-cultural understandings of history and memory; the articulation of value commitments; and the importance of historicizing the work in historical consciousness. Split into three sections, the articles explore historiography, history education, and the political climate in relation to historical consciousness, with contributions by Jörn Rüsen, Peter Lee , Roger Simon, James Wertsch, and Tony Taylor. Diverging from the majority of North American discussions of historical consciousness as interpreted in school settings, with republished articles, new interpretations of research, and active dialogue between theorists, this collection explores the theoretical possibilities for historical consciousness on a larger scale.