Colonialism and Decolonization in National Historical Cultures and Memory Politics in Europe

Colonialism and decolonization are historical phenomena that are part of the historical experience of many European countries. This volume offers students and teachers a new understanding of how colonialism and decolonization fit into our shared European past and contains teaching materials for history classes in European schools. The contributions have been produced by the EU project CoDec, involving partners from Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Great Britain, Austria, Poland and Switzerland. Analyzing colonial pasts, processes of decolonization and memory politics in different European countries from comparative and transnational perspectives, the study presents useful sources and practical suggestions for cutting-edge history lessons in European schools.

Uta Fenske and Daniel Groth work as research associates at the University of Siegen. Klaus-Michael Guse teaches History and works as a teacher trainer. They conducted the EU-funded project CoDec. Bärbel P. Kuhn is Professor of History Didactics at the University of Siegen, Germany.

Contents: Uta Fenske/Bärbel P. Kuhn: Introduction - S. Karly Kehoe: Understanding Overseas Colonialism as a Process: An Introduction - Reinhard Wendt: Potatoes, Coffee and Sugar - The Foreign from «Overseas» Changes Europe - Susanne Popp/Miriam Hannig: Potatoes - The Foreign from the Colonies Becomes One's Own - Susanne Popp/Miriam Hannig: Coffee - The Foreign Becomes Part of the «Western» Lifestyle in Europe - Susanne Popp/Miriam Hannig: Sugar - The Foreign is Copied - S. Karly Kehoe/Ben H. Shepherd/Nelson Mundell/Louise Montgomery: Colonialism and the Caribbean: Wealth, Power and the British Imperial State - S. Karly Kehoe/Ben H. Shepherd/Nelson Mundell/Louise Montgomery: Economic Aspects of Colonialism: A Caribbean Case Study - Philipp Marti/Bernhard C. Schär: Swiss Emigrants in 19th Century Brazil: Ambivalent Entanglements with Structures of Slavery - Claudia Kraft: Inner-European Colonialism: An Introduction - Andres Andresen/Anu Raudsepp: The Case of Lutheranism in Estonian History - From External Determination to People's Church - Klaus-Michael Guse/Claudia Kraft/Daniel Groth/David Schäfer: Images of Poland in Germany in the Late 18th and the 19th Centuries: Precondition of Colonial Power Relations? - Klaus-Michael Guse/Claudia Kraft/Daniel Groth/David Schäfer: Making Sense of Postcolonial Theories and Applying them to the Relationship between Eastern and Western Europe - Przemyslaw Damski/Katarzyna Czekaj-Kotynia: German Colonial Policy in Greater Poland (19th and 20th Centuries) - Przemyslaw Damski/Katarzyna Czekaj-Kotynia: Inner-Polish Politics in Kresy during the Interwar Period: An Example of Inner-European Colonialism? - Bernhard C. Schär: Decolonization, the Cold War and Development Aid: An Introduction - Katarzyna Czekaj-Kotynia: Between a Brotherly Union and Colonialism - Poland in the USSR Sphere of Influence - Karel Van Nieuwenhuyse/Idesbald Goddeeris: The Representation of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba and his Speech on 30 June 1960 (Congolese Independence Day) - Food for Controversy - Jaak Valge/Anu Raudsepp: Immigration to Estonia after World War II - Hillar Toomiste/Anu Raudsepp: The Case of the Secret Uranium Factory in Sillamäe - S. Karly Kehoe/Ben H. Shepherd/Nelson Mundell/Louise Montgomery: Reasons for Appeasement: The British Empire - Philipp Marti/Bernhard C. Schär: Switzerland and Rwanda: A Troublesome Partnership - Karel Van Nieuwenhuyse/Idesbald Goddeeris: Postcolonial Collective Memory Cultures in Europe. A Fragmented, Divided and National-Bound Landscape: An Introduction - Karel Van Nieuwenhuyse/Idesbald Goddeeris: Why «colonialism» as a concept causes confusion, and exploration of alternatives within historiography - Karel Van Nieuwenhuyse/Idesbald Goddeeris: Congo in Flemish/Belgian and Postcolonial Belgian/Congolese Collective Memory - Klaus-Michael Guse/Claudia Kraft/Daniel Groth/David Schäfer: Who Owns the Polish Past? Polish History Seen From Western European and Polish Points of View - Philipp Marti/Bernhard C. Schär: Colonial Patterns of Interpretation in Swiss Comics.