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The concept of ‘powerful knowledge’ has become extremely influential in discussions about curriculum in England over the last ten years. However, the concept seems to have done little to revolutionise curriculum design, and in some cases it has led to curricular narrowing and a focus on an increasingly nationalistic narrative in history. Michael Young (2019, 2021) has argued that the failure of the concept of ‘powerful knowledge’ to underpin meaningful curriculum reforms has been mainly due to its misinterpretation and loose definition. This paper explores these claims and finds that key voices in education in England, and history education specifically, have misunderstood and misapplied the concept of powerful knowledge. However, it also makes the case that powerful knowledge cannot be meaningfully defined in terms of history education, and that attempts to make curricular decisions based on the concept are therefore a distraction from more meaningful curricular work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In history curriculum design in England, currently at least two loci of authority - the history teachers' 'extended writing movement' and the national awarding body Pearson Edexcel - present somewhat contrasting portrayals of the narrative mode for the purposes of historical causal explanation. Nonetheless, both loci suggest they are reappropriating academic knowledge for the purposes of secondary schooling in a fashion similar to what Basil Bernstein (1986) dubs 'recontextualisation'. As a practising history teacher, I provide a phenomenological critique of Pearson Edexcel's specifications for the national GCSE and A-level examinations from the perspective of the extended writing movement's realisation of the Bernsteinian model, with a specific focus on the narrative mode for the purposes of historical causal explanation. In order to characterise the status of historical narrative in the academic field of production, I draw on analytic philosophies of history, theories of history by practising historians and historical explanations from one historiography: the Salem witch trials. Finally, I make recommendations for future reforms in national history examinations in England: constant revaluation with reference to academic knowledge; the avoidance of specific yet unsustainable claims about the discipline of history generally; and the abandonment of a genre-led assessment in favour of an epistemology-led alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The history of history education, past and present, often resembles a history of contestation, in which rival and polarized understandings of the meanings of 'history' and 'history education' vie for dominance (Nakou and Barca, 2010). A common polarity in debates on history curricula is the opposition between 'knowledge' and 'skill', an opposition that has had considerable currency in recent curriculum reform processes in England which have emphasised 'core knowledge' (DfE, 2013). Drawing on examples of classroom practice (Chapman, 2003; Woodcock, 2005; Buxton, 2003) and on systematic research and theorizing (Shemilt, 1983; Lee and Shemilt, 2009) this paper aims to destabilize such binary talk and to explore the ways in which 'first order' knowledge and understanding about the past and 'second order' or metahistorical knowledge and understanding of how the discipline of history works are both logically inter-related and inseparable in practical terms. The notion of historical 'enquiry' (Counsell, 2011) is explored as a pedagogic tool for the simultaneous development of these inter-related dimensions of historical thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an examination of British World War I memorials located in Great Britain and in British colonies such as the Cenotaph in London, England and the All-India War Memorial in New Delhi, India. It discusses how war memorials serve as an effective means to teach students about the process by which objects come to hold meaning. It explores the impact that visual resources have on Generation Y students and discusses how teachers can more effectively reach these students by understanding the types of resources they connect with. It presents an outline for teaching students analytical skills.

This article discusses the experience of teaching public history at Ruskin College, Oxford since 1996 to consider debates on the role of the "historian" and "the public." Drawing on ideas of Rosenzweig and Thelen as well as Samuel, this explores approaches to public history adopted within the MA. program at the College. It develops themes raised in the collection People and their Pasts: Public History Today to consider the concept of furthering historical understanding based on common experiences and breaking down rigid distinctions between "the historian" and "the public." The article describes practical approaches adopted! in the teaching of public history and draws on other examples, such as the television program, Who Do You Think You Are? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a May 2010 conference in Rome, Italy, of the Institute for European History in Mainz, Germany, the German Historical Institute in Rome, Italy, and the German Historical Institute of London, England, which was headlined "The First Florescence of Modern European Historiography." The meeting addressed the blooming of historiography in the 1950s in Italy and England.

The article presents information on the School of History at the University of Leeds. It focuses on the school's reputation for promoting innovative research on the history of Northern England, and its publication of the journal "Northern History," beginning in 1966. Several contributions by faculty members to the study of Northern English history are described, including John Chartres' research on licorice and gin, and Malcolm Chases' studies of the Labour movement. Interdisciplinary initiatives which link aspects of local English history to broader demographic studies are also noted.

The article presents the findings from a survey of over 400 young people in metropolitan areas in the Netherlands and England concerning their views on identity and school history. The research explored pupils’ ideas about which facets of history were of interest to them, what history they believed should be taught in schools, and their views on the purposes of school history and history in general. The coding of the data made it possible to delineate between those from different ethnic minority backgrounds, boys and girls, age and level of education and first or second generation of migration. The study revealed significant differences between young people's ideas about history and identity, and those advanced by politicians and policy makers in the Netherlands, England and elsewhere. The concluding section of the paper considers the implications of the findings for policy makers in the field of history education in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at the changing status of narrative 1 in classroom history and the ways in which narrative is introduced in history classes at Key Stage 3 (ages 11–14) in England. It includes the views of departmental heads responsible for the history curriculum and other history teachers on the place of narrative in the history curriculum as well as observations of history lessons. The research is set in the context of the English history national curriculum, although the relevance to curricula elsewhere is evident. The discussion is located within a discourse of different models of good practice, both for education generically and for narrative specifically. The research findings suggest that despite a mixed economy of methods and priorities within different history departments, the prevailing trend is towards a dilution of the academic tradition towards one that stresses an accessibility agenda. The impact of this on the place of narrative in history classes is considered and areas for further research are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response by Mark Jenner on the comments made on his article entitled "The Roasting of the Rump: Scatology and Body Politic in Restoration England," which appeared in "Past and Present" is presented. He argues that the comment suggests that the 'Roasting of the Rump' overstated the cultural impact and social diffusion of the songs and the imagery which it discussed. He also mentions that he did not aim to provide a comprehensive account of languages and symbolism of the body politic in the 1650s and early 1660s.

The article comments on Mark Jenner's article entitled "The Roasting of the Rump: Scatology and Body Politic in Restoration England," which appeared in "Past and Present." It argues that Jenner's article illuminates a moment where street carnival and scatological texts came together to denigrate the degenerate 'Rump' parliament by invoking scatological insult and images of cannibalistic dismembering and through a gendering of the failed state. He also contends that Jenner contributes an imaginative, scholarly and sophisticated addition to the literature and offers a methodological example by mixing literary, political and medical approaches to the study of history.

Explores the manner in which educational and political conservatives attempted to control the content and purposes of the history curriculum in English schools during the period 1987-1994. Debate concerning the role of history in the curriculum; Spurious nature of the New Right's claim to be engaging in an educational debate.

The article examines the vernacular design made by the potter Samuel Malkin in North Staffordshire, England. The term vernacular is derived from the Latin word vernaculas, meaning native or indigenous. Its historiography consists of many diverse works, ranging across rural history, popular culture studies, and archaeology and a large body of collectors' literature. Moreover, Malkin's design is consists of a large three-pronged flower motif in the centre, on which three sunflower faces. The kind of pottery that produced this dish would have been organized as a small production unit in which tasks were divided.

In this article the author features his experience in teaching history in an elementary school in England. The author discusses the methods and materials he used in teaching. Some challenges he encountered in teaching are stated. In addition, the author shares the lessons he learned from the experience.

Highlights developments related to historical studies in England. Schedule of the conference on cultural and political false beliefs organized by the Department of History, University of Essex; Publication of the "Lordship and Learning; Studies in Memory of Trevor Aston," by Ralph Evans; Award granted to English authors for excellent writings.