Beyond Bias – Teaching History in a Polarised World
In March 2025, representatives of the EUSTORY Network of history competitions meet at the Fritt Ord Foundation for their Annual Meeting. While all member competitions operate independently, some challenges remain the same: growing polarisation, anti-democratic sentiment, and the new challenges of Artificial Intelligence.
During the conference, participants explored Norwegian memorial culture in search of inspiration for their own countries, reflected on didactical challenges, and discussed new solutions.
Utøya’s New Life Between Memorial Site and Democracy Center
The first day led participants to Utøya, a symbol of the horrors of far-right ideology and Norway’s democratic resilience: On 22 July 2011, a far-right Norwegian born terrorist killed 69 persons, mostly young participants of the Labour party’s summer camp at the island of Utøya.
Today, the island is a memorial site, but also the new home of a Democracy Center that offers thriving democracy workshops, where more than 15,000 students reflect values, democracy and the dangers of extremism. The EUSTORY organisers took a tour around the island and experienced the methods used by the Utøya staff.
The opening lecture addressed the dangers of polarisation and the power of dialogue: Jørgen Watne Frydnes, General Secretary of PEN Norway and Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, was the first CEO of Utøya after the attack who gave the island its new face. In his thought-provoking talk he argued for a new discussion culture:
“We should really actively practice listening: Not only countering the arguments. But actually listening and trying to understand the other’s viewpoint and do something about it – not only try to win the argument. And that’s where we have to sometimes move away from debate to a proper dialogue.”
In a video interview with EUSTORY he talked about the significance of the Nobel Peace Prize, Utøya's transformation and combatting polarisation.
Did Civic Education Fail?
While the visit to Utøya and Frydnes’ keynote gave a shining example, one question was looming: Why could civic education not prevent the rise of anti-democratic tendencies? This was the key question discussed by Claudia Lenz and Nedim Krajišnik.
History didactician Lenz, who researches how to prevent antisemitism and islamophobia at the MF Vitenskapelig Høyskole in Oslo, called for methods in civic education that include all youth regardless of gender, class and social background. She noted that civic education often excludes those who would benefit most: less-privileged youth.
Nedim Krajišnik, Executive Director of the Bosnian NGO Step by Step – the largest teacher training association in Bosnia – had a straightforward answer: Yes, civic education did fail. He meticulously showed how society in Bosnia remains separated despite various initiatives and international support. He called for a value-based approach to civic education.
Solutions Not Sides
Jess Brandler, Deputy Director from the UK-based charity Solutions Not Sides (SNS), presented a very hands-on approach to working with polarized groups. SNS aims to provide humanising encounters, diverse narratives and critical-thinking tools related to the Israel-Palestine conflict They invite pairs of peace activists from Israel and Palestine to British schools to share personal stories, explain their motivation, and discuss possible solutions.
Teaching History in Polarised Times
How can history competitions contribute to counter polarisation? In different sessions, group works and exchanges, the participants shared experiences, exchanged solutions and explored ideas for future innovation. Zuzana Jezerska presented the final report of the “HistEdu: Contested Histories” project, where four EUSTORY countries developed general recommendations and individual lesson plans on contested and emotionalised topics in class.
Polarisation won’t disappear – but civic education offers tools, namely dialogue, listening, empathy. The EUSTORY Network will continue to promote these tools and to foster key competences such as critical thinking and the skilled handling of information – in the classroom and beyond.
Photo Gallery
Network Meeting in Oslo, Norway, 2025
All photos: Körber-Stiftung/Ilja C. Hendel, except photo #6: Körber-Stiftung
