A narrative that encompasses our history: Historical culture and history teaching

When people are asked where they first encountered history, the most likely answer will be ‘the classroom’. But the classroom is neither the first nor the last place where history comes into the life of a human being. Historical traces and narratives are almost everywhere. This chapter deals with the position of history teaching within the fast changing historical culture in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. It focuses on the tension between the political agenda of a national canon and the increasing cultural diversity among the young people who are assumed to ʼneed’ such a canon.