Justifying Imperialism and Silencing the Marginalized in History Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Accessing Historical Content: Analyzing Materials for Learning History

Abstract

This content analysis examines 28 open-access instructional materials about foreign imperialism, finding a reliance on imperialist-authored sources and widespread use of the problematic ‘balance sheet’ approach. By privileging colonial actors, these materials perpetuate Eurocentric tropes on the civilizing effects of imperialism, which can undermine students’ development of informed moral judgments.

Authors

• Anna Yonas, University of Kansas

• Stephen J. Jackson, University of Kansas