1st Annual Conference of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe

Preserving Democracy: Why does History Education Matter?

ALLEA Board Member, Professor Maarten Prak (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences), will join the 1st Annual Conference of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe to be held on 2-3 December 2021 in Strasbourg. Professor Prak will join as a speaker during Plenary Session 4 on the topic ‘Towards a Cooperation Platform for History Education.’ The conference will bring together over 150 participants and allow education professionals, government representatives and other interested parties to engage in high-level debates on the state of history teaching and related policies.

History reflects our shared past, and the Observatory intends to showcase how history education can help Europe work towards building a more open and inclusive society, one where all of our histories are heard equally. The Annual Conference will facilitate this engagement by creating a Platform, connecting different organisations and networks of experts in the field of history education during an international event hosted in Strasbourg over two days.

Organised around three main plenary sessions, the Annual Conference will also provide a unique opportunity to fully showcase the work and goals of the Observatory to future members and partners, as well as the work programme until 2023. Taking advantage of Council of Europe’s strategic positioning in Strasbourg, the Annual Conference will involve local stakeholders, such as public authorities, schools, institutes and museums. They will sponsor a series of side events in line with the core programme and objectives of the conference.

The working languages of the conference will be English and French.