"Migrations in the 20 th century and their consequences – ways forward for history lessons within a European context"

I. Preliminary remark on the concept of the teachers' seminar
As we move into the 21st century it is clear that two apparently inexorable developments are 
exerting ever greater influence over the lives of people in European States: Europeanisation 
and globalisation. For the open societies in Europe which already bear the distinct stamp of 
migration processes, these developments will entail further drastic changes: living together in a 
multi-ethnic society with a high degree of mobility will become the norm.
We must therefore prepare the rising generations in all countries for this new situation, by:
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fostering understanding for the causes underlying these processes,
-
eradicating irrational fears and judgements,
-
encouraging a keener perception of the positive effects of migration,
-
building a capacity for tolerance in relations with others.
This represents a pedagogical challenge to schools and to education. In their welcoming 
address, the Director of the Akademie Ludwig Härig and Dr Stefan Krimm, Bavarian State 
Minister for Education, stressed that the European teachers' seminar "Migrations in the 
20th century and their consequences - ways forward for history lessons within a European 
context" was to be a contribution towards this important task.
As a component of the Council of Europe "Learning and teaching about the history of Europe in 
the 20th century" project, the seminar focused on the historical dimension of the theme. We 
must understand the historical roots of drastic change in order to take our bearings in the 
present. At the same time, historical knowledge is a prerequisite for dealing with future tasks. It 
was against this backdrop that the seminar sought to find answers to the following questions:
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How can the theme of "migrations", hitherto given rather a subordinate role in history 
teaching, be made a stronger focal point?
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What useful and innovative teaching approaches can be recommended for addressing and 
motivating pupils in the age-group 14-17 in particular?
-
In what ways can the European dimension of this theme be better dealt with in history 
teaching?
In view of the relatively low priority attached to this theme in teaching to date, it had to be 
assumed that there was a need for information. A number of contributions therefore sought to 
highlight different aspects of migratory movements (cf programme appended). Heavy use was 
made of plenary and group discussions above all to generate pedagogical and methodological 
ideas and present practical teaching experiences.
Obviously, given the great number and diversity of migratory movements in Europe in the 
20th century, only partial answers could be found to the aforementioned questions. These 
should provide pointers for identifying practical action within the context of national curricula.
The results of the seminar supplement those of the 80th European teachers' seminar held in 
Donaueschingen on the same theme
2
. At the same time, they are to be incorporated in a 
teaching pack on "Population movements in Europe in the 20th century", which is being 
developed within the framework of the Council of Europe project.
2
The documentation is published under the reference DECS/EDU/INSET/DONAU (98) 2.

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