1 The Argentinian National Identity Through the Understanding of the Collective Memory in the Curriculum Contents of the “Ethical and Citizenship Formation” Axis in the Argentinian National Curriculum of the Social Sciences M. Ed. Mariana COOLICAN Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS) ・ Kobe University ・ Japan

2 Outline of this Study: 1) UNESCO Education For All (EFA) and Lesson Plans in Argentina 2) Historical Background 3) Curriculum Contents: Topic memory and its importance Topic identity and its importance Lesson plan about Memory and Identity 4) Implications for teachers’ literacy

3 EFA and Lesson Plans in Argentina:  From international recommendations to national policies: 1) The Law of Education was reform as the Federal Law of Education of ) Since 1995 there are changes in the curriculum contents and contents of textbooks (at editorial levels) 3) UNESCO EFA monitoring for Argentina in 2005 identifies the lack of training and content knowledge in Teaching Training

4 Historical Background  The return to democracy in 1983 resulted in little reformulation of curriculum contents. The Pedagogical Congress of 1988 was an exception  Since 1995 the Federal Law of Education (FLE) reformulated what should be taught and how: mostly the topics (1) memory reconstruction, (2) recent past and (3) identity  Since 2000 Criticism of the FLE  Since 2005 Reform at Buenos Aires province from General Basic Education (EGB) to Secondary Basic Education (ESB) through Rounds of Consultation at Provincial level  2006 National Law of Education at National level Discussion: (i) Quality in education, and (2) Curriculum Discussion: (i) Quality in education, and (2) Curriculum

5 Curriculum Contents:  Topic memory reconstruction and its importance  Topic national identity and its importance Through the understanding of the recent past ( )

6 Examples of the Government Actions include: (i) The definition of the ‘National Day of Memory and Pardon’ (March 24) (ii) The recuperation of places of torture and prisons as memorial monuments (iii) The academic debates around the topic on the consolidation of the institutions in democracy

7 Research question:  What needs to be taught to the students without filtering out important information, thereby resulting in propaganda?  For teachers, these points have strong significance, if we wish to educate persons and to develop citizens with: (i) a critical perspective on the recent past (ii) pluralism of criteria and total acceptance of the differences

8 The Treatment of Memory has been Described as: 1) Purpose, making national identity as political socialization 1) Contents, through some studies by the evaluation of authorized authors or heroes 2) Methods, sympathizing with the narrative stories of these works and their evaluation

9 This Study Displays:  1) The intention to clarify the process of making memory (its reconstruction) be like socialization, and not to make it political in Argentina  2) The content of positions (discourses) and the legitimate voices of the implied social agents  3) The method of understanding and of criticizing the discourses of involved social actors by means of a document analysis

10 Definition of Key Concepts:  Argentinian National Identity is our collective pride of our 1) Customs (e.g. soccer, tango, folklore, barbecues, mate tea, dulce de leche); 2) Heroes 3) Symbols (e.g. flag, national song, national anthem, monuments, national days) 4) Idiosyncrasies (e.g. impunity, corruption, easy-going nature, double discourse, sterile complaints) 5) Territory 6) Custody of the patrimony 7) Natural environment 8) Ideology Cemented by focusing the revision  Memory is 1) A continuing act of passing once more through the past from the present; 1) Dynamic, it is a construction, and it is changeable during the time and the discourses’ points of view of recent history to reinforce it

11 Relation between Memory & Identity: 1) Through perceptions of researchers, ex- political prisoners, and associations’ studies 2) Through education Through the “Ethical and Citizenship Formation” Transversal Axis

12  The Education comes into view as fundamental social sphere for teaching: The values of tolerance The respect of differences The plurality The citizens’ conscience as a basis of democratic life  The “Ethical and Citizenship Formation” Axis in the Year 9 of EGB 3 is a Transversal Curriculum, which analysis reflects: On the fight against totalitarianism The respect for human rights and democracy The defense of peace

13 A Lesson Plan to State the Dichotomy of Historical Context - Social Agents’ Discourses, by:  Checking the National Standards Curriculum Axis and textbooks  Examining of newspaper articles  Examining national official documents and unclassified United States Department of State documents - converted from the originals - related to human rights abuses in Argentina from 1975 to 1984

14 Purposes: 1)To visualize two realities – the victims who disappeared during the dictatorship of and the social agents’ discourses- analyzing the differences between the historical context and the society constructions over time 2)To infer the memory approach differing by periods on the recovering of the consensus history by the group analysis and debate 3)To apply the model of the reconstruction of memory to the national identity, by addressing common points Lesson Plan about Memory and Identity:

15 Time: 4 classes of 60 minutes (as special meetings or extracurricular activities) Teaching materials: 1)Student handouts 2)Teacher handouts Selected contents from National Standards Curriculum Block 1: Person Block 2: Values Block 3: Social norms

16 Lesson Plan Class parts: (i) Introduction, Class 1: “Memory and Identity” (ii) Development, Classes 2 & 3: “The Discourse Analysis of Memory” (iii) Conclusion, Class 4: “Identity as a Construction”

17 Argentinian historical outline of the last 30 years 1. Argentinian historical outline of the last 30 years 1. Homework 1: Re-construction of the discourses by document analysis 3. Video frame 4 & 5. Students’ handouts Teaching materials:

18 Parts of the Video: Topics: Part 1: Introduction. Testimonies without names.  Dictatorship period  EAAF team  Relatives of those who disappeared. Part 2: Development. Research meetings and results.  Exhumations  Finding remains.  Relatives’ meetings.  Processes of identification. Part 3: Conclusion. Hopes and justice.  Lecture on founded cases resolution.  Construction of memory.  Justice. VIDEO structure

19 Implications for Teachers’ Literacy Recommendations: Literacy includes teachers formation but Literacy includes teachers formation but also other social actors’ views Teachers’ subject knowledge might be improved Teachers’ subject knowledge might be improved Teachers’ best education practices might be shared in semester forums at Local/Distrital levels by all areas and/or subjects with the participation of the entire education community Teachers’ best education practices might be shared in semester forums at Local/Distrital levels by all areas and/or subjects with the participation of the entire education community

20 Memory… Identity … Recent Past… Thank you very much for your kind attention!