Teaching Secondary History in the Shadow of the State: Polarization and Censorship

AHA Session 54
Friday, January 9, 2026: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM
Salon C5 (Hilton Chicago, Lower Level)
Chair:
Julia Brookins, American Historical Association
Papers:
Navigating Discomfort and Reluctance: Enhancing Future Teachers' Readiness and Competences to Teach About Conflict in Kenya and the Netherlands
Line Kuppens, University of Amsterdam
Teaching and Learning Sensitive and Controversial Topics in History Through and With Decolonial Love
Paul Maluleka, University of South Africa
Monument(al) Challenges: Teaching Contested Histories Through Monuments in Polarized Europe
Abigail Branford, University of Oxford
Internal Violence in History Education in Peru: Challenges and Fears
Augusta Valle-Taiman, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

Session Abstract

This international panel examines school teachers' challenges teaching contested or difficult histories amid political pressures from the state and society. With perspectives from Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe, it offers comparative insights into the broader political pressures shaping historical education today and strategies for navigating these across contexts.
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