Chapter 6: The Teaching of History in Federal Belgium: The Interplay Between Politics and History Curricula in a Nation-State in Decline

In Belgium, education has gradually been regionalized and, since 1989, the Flemish and French Communities are autonomously responsible for history education. Based on the analysis of primary and secondary sources as well as on own involvement in at least one major reform, this contribution examines how the political context has affected the teaching of history in respectively the Flemish and French Communities. In so doing, it takes into account regional, national and international contexts, and includes the analysis of government initiatives as well as personal political initiatives towards history education. It focuses both on history as a school subject and on cross-curricular objectives for citizenship, such as remembrance education, in which history is included. In the conclusion, similarities and differences, and continuities and changes between the two Communities are analyzed.