Teaching about the past in Northern Ireland: avoidance, neutrality, and criticality

Abstract

Her research focuses on intergroup relations, intergroup conflict and social change in divided societies and is closely associated with social identity and contact theory. Clare McAuley is a Lecturer in the School of Education, Ulster University Coleraine. Her research interests include the role of education in promoting social cohesion; teaching History in contested societies; Citizenship education and teaching controversial and sensitive issues.

Three-faced: The conflicting roles of citizenship education in conflict-affected societies – A comparison of Northern Ireland and Israel

“…The dilution of CE through neoliberal policies and the privileging of a market rationale in education has been widely discussed in the literature (e.g. Donnelly et al, 2020; Mitchell, 2003). As a result of this shift, CE has increasingly focused on teaching necessary skills for individual success in a global economy, conceptualised citizens as entrepreneurs and consumers and reduced citizenship to passivity and political complacency (Brown, 2009).…”

“…It seems possible that when the tenets of transformative CE are upheld, new identifications and understandings of citizenship can be formed that are based on democratic values and human rights rather than protective community attachments. Human rights in particular have been identified as an important tool for education in conflict societies as it can provide a robust and legitimate framework for debates about the conflict that teachers can refer back to (Donnelly et al, 2020). Such frameworks are also important for integrated, bilingual and shared education contexts in conflict-affected societies.…”

“…Yet, competing policy agendas can skew and distort its role in contributing to peacebuilding (Davies, 2004). This is apparent in Israel and Northern Ireland, where despite a political commitment to CE that aims to inter alia explore issues related to the region's conflict, evidence suggests that this is only partially addressed in the classroom (Donnelly, McAuley, Blaylock et al 2020;Muff and Bekerman, 2019).…”

Tensions in teaching balanced controversial history: Competing voices within a student teacher in Northern Ireland

“…Aoife's construction of these voices bears the influence of Northern Ireland's education profession. Donnelly et al (2021) note that as early as 1982, the Department of Education released a statement communicating that 'every educational professional at every level was responsible for ensuring that children learn to understand and respect each other so that they could live in a more harmonious society' (p. 1). The cautious teacher's voice, reinforced by the voice of Catholic students, animated the idea that students carry resentment over past injustices into the classroom and Aoife felt deeply responsible to not inflame it.…”

“…But that ideal conflicted with institutional constraints as well as cultural avoidance of controversy (King, 2009), fear of classroom conflict, threats of criticism and, in some cases, with their own and students' community identification. Donnelly et al (2021) note that more qualitative research is needed on teachers' motivations for approaching or avoiding conflict. My research addresses this need.…”