For example, countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina (bih) continue to be ripe with potential rifts across ethnic communities. Curriculum developers have tried to ensure that history education does not demonise border countries engaged in the earlier Balkan conflict to avoid hostility to members of associated ethnic groups who are living within the bih borders. It is important to bear in mind that there is often more than one history. History should not be propaganda and it should not pass on untruths. Standards that the best historians apply to their own research and writing are relevant to materials used in classrooms. However, there are too many examples of curriculum being tainted by nationalist sentiments, ranging from omitting painful facts in a country’s history to (worse) glorifying those facts. Even in democratic countries, there are sometimes public authorities that require educators to teach a distorted version of the national history and require the use of historically questionable teaching materials. For example, since 1947 there have been numerous conflicts between the Japan Teachers Union jtu13 and conservative Liberal Democratic Party governments about history textbooks and history education in general. A clash that received much attention, nationally and internationally, was jtu’s refusal to accept a history syllabus that omitted war crimes committed by Japan during its occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. Teaching in an honest way is often difficult as there may be pressures from authorities, local communities and parents to limit the exposure of students to different points of view. By stimulating full and fair discussions, educators help to overcome divisions based on nationalism and contribute to social cohesion. It is a vital part of the mission of education to build peace and understanding. 13
日本教職員組合 Nihon Kyōshokuin Kumiai, nikkyoso, jtu
41