How Finnish upper secondary students conceive transgenerational responsibility and historical reparations: implications for the history curriculum

Abstract

The article discusses how Finnish upper secondary school students ponder upon the questions of transgenerational responsibility and historical reparation. These questions have got a prominent place in the history culture in many societies in the last 20 years. The philosophical and political dimensions of reparations for historical injustices have been analysed in numerous studies but there is little research on what citizens think of the notion of historical reparation. The article is based on focus group interviews of 53 upper secondary school students, carried out in 2008–2009. It suggests that the students’ reflections on the questions of transgenerational moral responsibility and historical reparation open a view on their historical consciousness which is a relevant subject to consider when developing the school history curriculum. The key theme in the analysis is how the students conceive the preconditions of responsibility and the limits of historical continuity. The article discusses the implications of the findings for the history curriculum. It also urges for comparative studies on the subject, giving as an example a project where similar focus groups have been carried out in five other European countries, in 2011–2012.

Keywords:

• historical reparation
• transgenerational responsibility
• historical consciousness
• history education
• focus groups

Acknowledgements

I am endebted to the referees of the first manuscript for their helpful comments and suggestions.