Objective:

Newropeans-Networks, in cooperation with Europe 2020 and Newropeans-Magazine, has decided to launch a website called E-storia, a free-access service aimed at enabling large audiences to compare the way in which history books of different countries concerned by the same historic event present it to their youth.

Context :

For centuries, Europe’s history has been seen through national perspectives of the events and people who shaped up our continent. In the recent years, as a result of European integration, some historians have tried, with more or less success, to write « European » versions of Europe’s history, free from national prisms and more concerned by the great trends that affected our continent. Unfortunately these books, even though sometimes remarkable, are mostly meant for a public of enlightened history fans. They do have some influence on the drafting of school books which today are certainly far less nationalistic than 2 or 3 decades ago, however they do not affect the largest majority of people who still listen to the music of history in mono sound: one perspective on the events and characters, that of the Nation-State.

Yet Europe’s history is above all the story of one single reality, shared in common but envisaged under various angles, often experienced in radically opposite conditions. If some common trends exist, they do not express themselves in the same manner according to each country. If some common characters exist, they do not have the same image on the two sides of a frontier. Europe’s history is like a many-facet diamond: each on can see the same diamond, but no one sees exactly the same facets.

To understand the reality of this European history is essential to the emergence of a sustainable European citizenship. Indeed this citizenship cannot be based on some re-written common History, but on the awareness that a single reality can be seen differently. Netherlands’ independence fighters are heroes in Holland, but “terrorists” in Spain; the conquest of Palatinat by the armies of Louis XIV is an atrocious butchery in the eyes of the rest Europe… And so on and so forth with hundreds of events of our common history : « a truth this side of the Pyrénées, a lie on the other side » used to say Montaigne. The European Union may need future common truths for its citizens today integrated within the same political entity; however, when it comes to the past, The EU should modestly teach them to become aware of those many truths resulting from our intricate histories.

Method :

Around thirty events will be selected in the first place. Each event will be presented from two “national” perspectives of countries directly affected by it.

First the website will be developed in French, then in English, and as much as possible in some 15 European languages then on.

The thirty events will be selected thanks to the collaboration of the dozens of thousands of partners and visitors crossing the websites of the project’s 3 founding-organisations. Then a specific team will search the pages of the school books (age category : 12-15) presenting the selected events.

Target-groups :

The target audience of this pedagogic instrument ranges wide:

. geographically : the entire European continent
. professionnally : primary school teachers, secondary school history teachers, European Studies and History departments in higher education, cultural or European associations, etc.. . . generally: all Internet users interested by either Europe or History.

Calendar :

Implementation elapses over 6 months between May and December 2004:

. May: Launch of events’ identification process
. July: Selection of 30 events
. September: Identification of 60 pages school books
. November: Launch of E-storia website/demo-version in French
. December: Launch of E-storia website/version 1 in French and English.

From February onward, E-storia will develop into 15 different language versions.

contact: mranke-cormier@europe2020.org