The Problem of Teaching Imperial History: Lessons from Different Empires

AHA Session 80
Friday, January 9, 2026: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Salon C5 (Hilton Chicago, Lower Level)
Chair:
Abigail Branford, University of Oxford

Session Abstract

This panel explores the challenges of teaching imperial history in schools through a comparative lens. Drawing on experiences from the British, German, French, and American empires, it examines how different national contexts shape public memory, curriculum, and classroom practice—highlighting shared dilemmas and distinctive recommendations and approaches to teaching fraught historical legacies.
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