A Shared European History? Perceptions of Imperialism and Islam in Matriculation Examination Essays and History Textbooks

The European Union (EU) is faced with a continuous decrease in public support. There is a tension between the growing Euroscepticism and the concurrent academic discourse of a shared European identity. Informed and inspired by the current debates, this Master’s Thesis investigates the potential of a shared past to create shared identity. It also addresses the logic of cultural exclusion that is often connected to collective cultural identities. The source material is a combination of exam essays, written as answers to the history tests in the Finnish matriculation examinations of 2005-2008, and upper secondary school history textbooks. From the sources, current perceptions of Islam (as Europe’s Other) and the age of imperialism (as a debated period from Europe’s past) among the youth are studied. Through the analysis the thesis aims to indicate the level of consensus within the pupils’ identification with the past and with Europe. This objective is pursued through examining the pupils’ perceptions of Europe’s past and its relationship to non-European cultures and countries as they are manifested in the essays, and reflecting upon the level of influence that history textbooks as representatives of national hegemonic historical narratives might have on the contents, framings and emphases with and through which the pupils approach, imagine, and reproduce Europe’s past. The approach is based on previous research on the presence of history and the field of textbook research. The theoretical categories with which the sources are analyzed are derived primarily from literature on identity, European integration, history and memory, postcolonial criticism, and theorizations of European identity. Results of the research project suggest that the rhetoric of European superiority, despite its apparent demise, still resonates in contemporary understandings of Europeanness. Dominant perceptions of imperialism comprise of European agency and colonial submission, dominant perceptions of the Islamic world of fundamental difference. Identification with European history among the Finnish youth is rather shallow when examined through perceptions of imperialism; the Islamic world is perceived as Other and its representations are dominated by recent and contemporary international relations.

Liang Zhe jiao shi lu /

Double leaves, oriental style, in case.

Jing xin shu yuan jing yi.

Mode of access: Internet.

Deng ying she gao.

Vols. 3-6 in case.

Xue hong she mo xuan /

Mode of access: Internet.

Xin mo guan kui : bing zi xiang mo ding chou hui mo.

Mode of access: Internet.

Shuntian xiang shi wei mo.

Ed. for 1907 published by Henan Wen ming tang has appendix: Shuntian xiang shi lu.

Guizhou wei mo.

Editions for examinations of 1885, 1888 and 1889.

Jiangxi xiang shi lu : Guangxu shi wu nian ji chou en ke.

Mounted cover title.

Jiangnan wei mo.

Running title: Jiangnan xiang shi wei mo ; vol. for 1903 has title: Jiangnan wei yi.

Henan wei mo.

Honan provincial examination essays for the years 1882, 1885, 1888 and 1903.

Zhejiang wei mo.

Editions for examinations of 1882, 1888-1889 and 1901.

Fujian wei mo.

Editions for examinations of 1888, 1889 and 1903.

Hubei wei mo.

[1] Wu zi ke -- [2] Ji chou en ke -- [3] Jia wu ke -- [4] Ding you ke -- [5] Ren yin en ke bing bu xing geng zi ke xin chou ke -- [6] Gui mao en ke.

Jiangxi wei mo.

Editions for examinations of 1873, 1875, 1885, 1888, 1889 and 1903.