The Need for Narrative Competence in History: Views From Canadian Students

• In Event: Thinking Historically: Narratives, Reasoning, Argumentation, and Assessment

Abstract

Recent theories of historical consciousness focus on the role narration plays in people's attempts to give meaning to the past and orient their practical life as citizens. This paper examines the urgent need for and importance of developing narrative competence as a way to engage critically (and not just emotionally or politically) in contested memories of the collective past and to develop more sophisticated forms of historical consciousness. Relying on a narrative approach to probe students’ understanding of the past, we surveyed 600 French Canadian students from different provinces of Canada. Canada, a multi-national state made up of ‘nations-with’ (French, English, Aboriginals) represents an interesting case for studying how young citizens can engage in contested views of the collective past.

Author

• Stephane Levesque, University of Ottawa