Globalisation, Ideology and the Politics of History School Textbooks: Russia

The analysis of a sample of prescribed history textbooks in the Russian Federation (RF) show there has been a visible ideological shift in interpretation and emphasis of historical narratives. It signals a pronounced exercise in forging a desirable new identity, nation-building and a positive re-affirmation of the greatness of the present Russian state (Zajda, 2012). It also represents a clear denial or another form of 'characteristic amnesia', as certain controversial issues are either ignored or not discussed critically. Instead, it suggests an existence of the nexus between ideology, the state, and nation-building, as depicted in historical narratives of the more recent prescribed and approved by the Ministry of Education and Science school textbooks. It also demonstrates that the issue of national identity and balanced representations of the past continue to dominate the debate surrounding the content and pedagogy of history textbooks in the RF. For Russia, undergoing an all too-familiar process of nation-building, the three most significant issues defining an ideological re-positioning of the politically correct historical narratives are--preferred images of the past, patriotism and national identity. The paper concludes that competing discourses and ideologies will continue to define and shape the nature and significance of historical knowledge, ideologies and the direction of values education in prescribed history textbooks in Russia.