Summary
Overview
Renowned historians Nigel Biggar and Robert Tombs discuss the current state of history education in Britain, arguing that young people are being taught a fragmented, ideologically partisan narrative focused on Britain's failures while ignoring its achievements. They explore the British Empire's complex legacy, examining both its humanitarian accomplishments and moral failings, and make the case for teaching a more complete, balanced understanding of the past to foster patriotism and national cohesion.
The Crisis in History Education: Fragmented Knowledge and Missing Context
The conversation opens with a stark diagnosis of what's wrong with history education in British schools. Students today learn isolated "blobs" of history—life in the trenches, slavery, Nazis—without understanding the broader narrative of how Britain developed. This fragmented approach leaves young people with no sense of chronology or causation, unable to answer basic questions like when the English Civil War occurred. The problem is compounded by a focus on teaching "skills" rather than content, with history reduced to analyzing sources rather than understanding the substance of the past.
- Students no longer learn the whole story of Britain's development from Roman times to present, instead getting isolated "blobs" of history
- A well-educated student from a top private school didn't know when the English Civil War happened because he had no sense of the whole chronology
- History education shifted to teaching "skills" like criticizing sources rather than learning about actual historical content
- Teachers chose topics like Henry VIII and Hitler that seemed more immediately accessible than complex political developments
- Britain teaches very little history compared to other countries—in France it's compulsory through to A-level, in Britain students often stop in year nine
" My worry is that the currently fashionable story about Britain's past as being a litany of racism and oppression exploitation is being fed to kids. "
" The story we tell ourselves about our past has really important political implications. And that's why it's being done. Let's be honest. "
Postmodernism and Ideological Capture: History as Stories We Choose
The discussion turns to how postmodernist thinking has undermined history education by promoting the idea that there is no objective truth, only competing narratives. This has enabled ideologically motivated "stories" to gain equal footing with evidence-based history, leading to claims like African soldiers on Hadrian's Wall being promoted not because they're true but because they make certain students feel included. The relativist position allows educators to justify teaching whatever narrative serves their political purposes rather than what the evidence actually supports.
- Postmodernist view holds that history is just stories with no real truth, allowing people to teach whatever narrative they prefer
- Example given of teaching that Hadrian's Wall was defended by Africans (meaning black people) to promote inclusion, despite lack of evidence
- Some claim we can't judge whether traditional indigenous knowledge is inferior to modern science without being colonialist
- We're allowed to critique our own ancestors' mistaken beliefs but not those of other cultures due to white guilt
" History is therefore just a lot of stories. And so we're not really interested in telling people how to understand the development of our country because you might like that story but I don't really like that story and a lot of the kids won't like that story therefore we'll do some other stories. "
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