History didactics in the Federal Republic of Germany

Abstract

German historiography has long been addressing the centrality of «Geschichtsbewusstsein» (historical consciousness / awareness) in the framework of the History didactics. The concept, proposed for the first time in the 70s by a new generation of historians (Rüsen, Pandel, von Borries and others), singles out the historical teaching as a «field of work» open towards a multiplicity of actors (research and academic teaching, school education, extracurricular learning, Public history), in the perspective of the social transfer of historiographic critical thinking and in terms of promotion of individual conscience and civil empowerment pathways. This contribution aims at outlining the epistemological dimension and the concrete application effectiveness of this concept, which allows us to reflect on the importance of the history teaching in the context of complex cultural and educational processes, fundamental in view of the assimilation of democratic values.