Welcome to the Department of History Didactics

Actors, discourses and practices of the 1970s and 1980s. Disciplinary history(ies) of "history didactics"

Participants: Christian Heuer & Hannah Van Reeth

Cooperation: Working Group "Disciplinary History(ies)" of the Conference for History Didactics (KGD)

Duration: ongoing

On the basis of previously unprocessed and unpublished sources, an attempt will be made to analyze the field of "history didactics" in the 1970s and 1980s, the production process of history didactic knowledge from a practice-theoretical perspective, its social practices of agenda-setting together with their constellations and interactions in the context of the journal "Geschichtsdidaktik" (1973-1987) with the instruments of historical epistemology in the mode of scientific reflexivity, in order to analyze the constitution and establishment of the scientific discipline of history didactics as an effect of its own social practice.

Why? National Socialism in Styria

Involved: Christian Heuer

Cooperations: Center for Jewish Studies Graz, Clio, Museum of History, Chair of Didactics of History and Civic Education at the University of Vienna

Duration: ongoing

In the context of the project, the new permanent exhibition on National Socialism in Styria was developed and curated conceptually and at the textual level together with the other participants. In its function as a history workshop, the exhibition, which opened in November 2022, sees itself as a space for communication, appropriation and education. Since then, we have continuously explored the diverse practices of communicating and appropriating history(ies) theoretically, recorded them empirically and enabled them pragmatically.

Historical-political education revisited

Involved: Britta Breser & Christian Heuer

Collaborations: Chair of Didactics of History and Civic Education at the University of Vienna

Duration: ongoing

The cooperation project will reassess the ambivalences of historical-political education under current and future challenges (responsibility, crises and the Anthropocene).

History(s) of historical culture

Involved: Christian Heuer

Duration: ongoing

The stories circulating within historical culture, the actors who tell them and their diverse practices can be understood as current proposals for seeing the historical and endowing it with meaning. Of course, they differ depending on the actor, in their intentionality and their forms, in their underlying methodology and in their reference to the addressee. However, they all have one thing in common: they must be understood in order to contribute to orientation. Dealing with history(ies) requires both at the same time: understanding meaning and creating meaning. At the center of the research is the language of historical-cultural manifestations, or rather their narrative constitution and the way in which these stories are told in different formats (visual art, film, autobiography, photography, toys, series, urban space, post-digital).

Writing games of the "new" didactics of history. On the practice of theory. (Dissertation project)

Involved: Hannah Van Reeth

Duration: ongoing

With regard to the theoretical debates and discussions of the 1970s and 1980s, this dissertation project aims to carry out a historical-epistemic analysis of the foundations of historical-didactic knowledge systems by examining theoretical self-narratives of historical-didactic actors in their social and power-structural relationships in the then young German-language history didactics. The "formation of a discipline" is to be understood as a consequence of theoretical positionings, whose conceptions are to be examined in their abstract form on the one hand, but whose disciplinary narratives, negotiation practices and socio-political relationships are to be linked and critically elaborated on the other. In doing so, the thesis is to be pursued that the socio-political historical didactic discourse field of the 1970s and 1980s shifted into a special textual-epistemic communication space that understands theory as a scientific-political moment of authority.

EU-ropean crises (narratives): Perspectives of student teachers in Styria

Participants: Britta Breser & Matthäus Berger

Cooperation and duration: Third-party funding: Province of Styria (March-December 2023); Styrian Chamber of Labor (February - December 2024)

In public perception, democracy is associated with expectations and hopes for a good life. However, EU-rope is in a multiple crisis. EU scepticism is particularly high in Austria compared to the rest of Europe.

Students who are currently studying to become teachers in Styria have come to know EU-rope from the perspective of a crisis mode. This is not just a state that can be analyzed in terms of its cause and reaction. Crises can also be interpreted as a challenging potential that produces different experiences and meanings that can be used for historical-political educational processes.

Due to the complete lack of empirical findings to date, the following questions arise, among others:

What ideas do future teachers associate with EU-ropa? How do they assess their own EU-ropa political (democracy) education in view of the crisis nature of EU-rope?

Postcolonial Italy. Mapping Colonial Heritage

Participants: Markus Wurzer

Cooperation: in cooperation with Daphné Budasz (European University Institute, Florence)

Duration: ongoing

Postcolonial Italy is a public history project founded by Daphné Budasz and Markus Wurzer in Florence in 2018. The project is conceived as an independent bottom-up initiative that aims to (a) identify and collect colonial traces in Italy, (b) provide critical knowledge about these traces in order to (c) initiate a debate on colonial legacies and reflect on the social, political and cultural consequences of colonialism beyond the academic context in Italian society. More information about the project

Breser, Britta, Mag. M.E.S. Dr.

Gruber, M.-T., Ogris, K. & Breser, B. (Eds.) (2021b). Diversity in the context of higher education teaching: Best practice. Münster and New York: Waxmann.

Breser, B. (2021a). On interdependence in civic education: The principle of action orientation needs to be updated. Pedagogical Horizons, 5/1, (pp. 81-98).

Breser, B. (2020). Transnational political participation: A concept against national populism? In M. Oberlechner, R. Heinisch & P. Duval (Eds.), Nationalpopulismus bildet? Schwalbach: Wochenschau.

Heuer, Christian, Univ.-Prof. Dr.

Heuer, C. (2023k). Meta-reflexivity and history didactics. From the training to the education of history teachers. In C. Cramer (ed.), Meta-Reflexivity and the Professionalism of Teachers. Theory development and research perspectives under discussion (S. 271-283). Waxmann.

Heuer, C., Lamprecht, G. & Marschnig, G. (2023j). In the conflict of practice. An exhibition between historical research, history didactics and museum. Journal for Museum and Education, 94/95, 7-20. (in print)

Heuer, C. (2023i). Doing tasks? - A sketch of task practice in history teaching. In A. Brait, H. Krösche & C. Oberhauser (Eds.), New task culture in history lessons? Theoretical approaches and empirical findings (pp. 36-51). Wochenschau-Verlag.

Heuer, C. (2023h). Travelogues from (Post)Digitalia. Historical didactic perspectives. In V. Kumar, G. Lamprecht, L. Nievoll, G. Oelschlegel, Grit & S. Stoff (Eds.), Erinnerungskultur und Holocaust Education im digitalen Wandel. Georeferenced documentation, remembrance and mediation projects (pp. 153-171). Transcript (in print)

Heuer, C. (2023g). Historical consciousness. In: J. Rüsen, M. Barricelli, N. Brauch, F. Jaeger & E. Martins (Eds.), Handbook of historical studies (pp. x-y). Springer. (in press)

Heuer, C. (2023f). Questions about the "professional standard". In: C. Winklhöfer (Ed.), Der Beutelsbacher Konsens & und seine Bedeutung für die Geschichtsdidaktik (pp. x-y). Wochenschau-Verlag. (in print)

Heuer, C. (2023e). On the practice of history didactics. History teacher education between science and school practice. Journal für lehrerInnenbildung 23(1), pp. 40-49.

Van Reeth, H. & Heuer, C. (2023d). "It really started with theory". Possibilities and limits of theoretical research in history didactics. Journal for Didactics of the Social Sciences 14(1), 95-113.

Heuer, C. (2023c). [Review of Geschichtsdidaktik. Practical handbook for history teaching edited by M. Fenn & M. Zülsdorf-Kersting]. In: H-Soz-Kult, 21.11.2023.

Heuer, C. (2023b). [Review of How history textbooks narrate. Narratological, transtextual and didactic perspectives by J. Jansen]. Journal of History Didactics, 22, 152-154.

Resch, M., Heuer, C. & Lohse-Bossenz, H. (2023a). An intervention to promote historical didactic knowledge and skills for the construction of tasks for history lessons. In M. Waldis & M. Nitsche (Eds.), Geschichtsdidaktisch intervenieren (pp. 128-152). Hep-Verlag.

Breser, B., Heuer, C. & Marschnig, G. (2022f). Narrating crises - On the orientation function of historical-political education. Journal for Didactics of the Social Sciences 13, pp. 37-55.

Heuer, C. (2022e). Told differently. Learning democracy. In: unizeit 2.

Heuer, C. (2022d). Apocalyptic and integrated? History learning and teaching in the post-digital times of Corona. History in Science and Education 73[9/10], pp. 546-553.

Heuer, C. (2022c). History of democracy or democratic history(ies)? History textbooks as controlled constructions and controlling constructors. In C. Kühberger, R. Heinisch, R. Klaushofer, & M. Reiter (Eds.), Democracy after 1945. Perspectives on history, politics and law in Austria (pp. 85-98). Böhlau.

Heuer, C. (2022b). Lost in Transition - On historical education. Public History Weekly 10,4.

Heuer, C. (2022a). [Review of Task culture in history lessons, by M. Köster]. H-Soz-Kult, 12.01.2022.

Heuer, C. (2021n). Tasks. In U. Mayer et al. (Eds.), Dictionary of history didactics (pp. 30-31). 4th, expanded and updated. ed. Wochenschau-Verlag.

Heuer, C. (2021m). Competence-oriented planning models for history lessons. In G. Weißeno & B. Ziegler (Eds.), Handbook of history and political didactics (S. 173-186). Springer.

Heuer, C. (2021l). Of interpretive struggles and the disciplinary orders of discourse. An attempt at the social practice of 'history didactics'. Austrian Journal for Historical Sciences, 32(3), 35-55.

Rehm, M., Dörfler, T., Heuer, C., Seidenfuß, M., Vogel, M. & Lohse-Bossenz, H. (2021k). The research program "Effective competence diagnosis in teacher education". Interdisciplinary research on the acquisition and development of professional knowledge. In H. Lohse-Bossenz et al. (Eds.), Professionalization in teacher education. Findings and perspectives of the interdisciplinary research program "Effective competence diagnosis in teacher education" (pp. 9-27). Münster, New York.

Heuer, C. (2021j). More cases, irritations and reflexivity. Educational-theoretical perspectives for a historically didactically profiled teacher education. In M. Sauer & F. Runge (Eds.), History didactic university teaching. Structures-Concepts-Methods (pp. 34-50). Wochenschau-Verlag.

Heuer, C. (2021i). "Chernobyl" as a place of historical education? Reflections on the relevance of historical-cultural manifestations. Didactica Historica, 6, 91-95.

Heuer, C. (2021h). Staged history(ies)? Historical didactic considerations on the performative staging of "toys". In C. Kühberger (ed.), Playing with history. On the material culture of toys and games as a representation of the past (pp. 41-54). Transcript publishing house.

Heuer, C. (2021g). Tasks: Object and place. Perspective reflections on an inclusive task culture of historical learning. In O. Musenberg et al. (Eds.), Historische Bildung inklusiv: Zur Rekonstruktion, Vermittlung und Aneignung vielfältiger Vergangenheiten (pp. 183-196). Transcript publishing house.

Heuer, C. (2021f). "Quo vadis?" or the gatekeepers of discourse. Preliminary considerations on a reflexive history of discourse with critical intent. In L. Deile, P. Riedel & J. v. Norden (eds.), Brennpunkte heutiger Geschichteunterrichts. Joachim Rohlfes on his 90th birthday (pp. 217 - 233). Wochenschau-Verlag.

Heuer, C. (2021e). "Vom Nahen und Fernen" - Children tell their world. Historical didactic reflections on early historical learning. In W. Buchberger & C. Kühberger (Eds.), Historical learning at primary level. Viewpoints - Challenges - Perspectives (pp. 9-22). Studienverlag.

Heuer, C. & Seidenfuß, M. (2021d). Thinking differently about history teacher education! Reflections on the relationship between discipline and profession. In S. Barsch & B. Barte (Eds.), Motivation - Cognition - Reflection: Highlights on professionalization processes in the training and further education of history teachers (pp. 241 - 260). Wochenschau publishing house.

Heuer, C. (2021c). [Review of Grundlegung und Ausformung des deutschen Geschichtsunterrichts. School discourses on didactics and history in the 19th century, ed . by W. Jacobmeyer & H. Thünemann]. Journal for History Didactics, 20, 229-231.

Heuer, C. (2021b). How we will learn history. The online magazine of the University of Graz.

Heuer, C. (2021a). History textbooks and education. [Commentary on School History Textbooks in the 21st Century, by P. Gautschi & C. Bunnenberg]. Public History Weekly, 9(2).

Heuer, C., Hasberg, W. & Seidenfuß, M. (2020k). The long summer of history didactics. Outline of a reflexive history of discipline. Journal for History Didactics, 19, 73-89.

Heuer, C. & Seidenfuß, M. (2020j). Problem orientation revisited. On the reflection of a historical-didactic knowledge order. In C. Heuer & M. Seidenfuß (Eds.), Problem orientation revisited. On the reflection of a historical-didactic order of knowledge, (pp. 3 - 28). LIT-Verlag.

Heuer, C. (2020i). Arbeit am Selbst" - Über (lebens)geschichtliche Konstruktionen des Andersseins. Didactica Historica, 6.

Heuer, C. (2020h). Telling the Other - Life-historical reflections in self-testimonies. Didactica Historica , 6, 63 - 68.

Heuer, C. (2020g). The practices of history teacher education. For a practice-theoretical discussion of (not only) didactic orders of knowledge in history. In S. Barsch & O. Plessow (Eds.), University Practice Phases in History - Ways to Improve Teacher Education? (S. 29 - 50). LIT-Verlag.

Heuer, C. (2020f). Class in the discourse of history didactics. In S. Barsch, B. Degner, C. Kühberger & M. Lücke (Eds.), Handbuch Diversität im Geschichtsunterricht. Inclusive history didactics (pp. 135 - 145). Wochenschau publishing house.

Heuer, C. (2020e). "Everyman his own historian"- Historical thinking and life history narration. Rethinking History. The Journal of Theory and Practice, 24(1), 56 - 68.

Friesen, M. Benz, J., Heuer, C., Kramer, T., Lohse-Bossenz, H., Resch, M. & Rutsch, J. (2020d). Foreword. In M. Friesen et al. (Eds.), Vignette-based learning in teacher education. Didactic and pedagogical perspectives (pp. 7 - 9). Beltz Juventa Publishers.

Resch, M. & Heuer, C. (2020c). Vignette-based learning from a history didactic perspective. In M. Friesen et al. (Eds.), Vignette-based learning in teacher education. Didactic and pedagogical perspectives (pp. 103 - 118). Beltz Juventa publishing house.

Heuer, C. (2020b). [Review of Outline of general science didactics. Foundations and orientations for teacher training, teaching and research, by D. Benner]. Journal for History Didactics, 19, 118 - 122.

Heuer, C. (2020a). [Review of Deutschland und Frankreich - Geschichtsunterricht für Europa / France - Allemagne. L'enseignement de l'histoire pour l'Europe, by B. Reiner et al. (ed.)]. Sehepunkte. Review journal for the historical sciences.

Van Reeth, Hannah, MEd. BEd.

Van Reeth, H. & Heuer, C. (2023). "It really started with theory". On the possibilities of theoretical research in history didactics. Journal for didactics of the social sciences 14(1), 95-113.