Towards an Intercultural Pedagogy: The Identity/OthernessParadox in History Teaching in Colonial and Postcolonial Contexts

Abstract

Throughout the French colonial period, history education was primarily centered on constructing a national identity. Over time, particularly in the context of the two World Wars, it gradually shifted along a trajectory that moved from a focus on the metropolitan (hexagonal) space toward the study of other parts of the world. This shift resulted from various
factors that directly influenced the stance of the French educational system, in response to changes in the international context. Although the epistemological dimensions of historical knowledge were not reintegrated into school curricula until much later—due to the far-reaching and traumatic consequences of the two World Wars, the Cold War, and their ongoing ramifications—cultural stereotypes, by contrast, have remained deeply rooted.