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Lies My Teacher Told Me

Lies My Teacher Told Me: All is Revision

All is Revision

BBC Radio 4 - Lies My Teacher Told Me, All is Revision

Historian Priya Atwal explores the global pitfalls in telling textbook national history

School textbook history can often reveal much about a nation's desire to shape or avoid the complexities  of its own past. Historian Priya Atwal begins a new 5 part exploration

The school history text book has always been a potential minefield. Every nation setting its histories before its children makes choices. The textbook is frequently used as a primer for the story of the nation when young minds are often unlikely to question or even pay attention to a story that may go on to shape their understanding of their place as citizens so what do we want children to make of their own national past? Should we even teach them a history of the nation? Are facts and dates the stuff of critical understanding? Historian Priya Atwal explores the global issues in telling textbook national history from Lebanon to Japan to Northern Ireland & India  as she explores history's many uses as pedagogy and sometimes propaganda.
Producer: Mark Burman

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