Education and National Narratives: Changing Representations of the Armenian Genocide in History Textbooks in Turkey

Abstract

Over the past several decades, Turkey’s narrative of the Armenian genocide has come under increasing scrutiny, both domestically and internationally. In response, state o! cials have defended and adapted the o! cial version of events, repeatedly turning to the educational system as one of a set of channels through which the state’s narrative is disseminated. is article analyses changes in the o! cial narrative of the ‘Armenian question’ in Turkish high school history textbooks over the past half-century, and identi# es the domestic and international factors that have in$ uenced these changes. e # rst part of the article sets up the context, brie$ y outlining the history of the genocide, highlighting institutional and ideational reasons for the silencing of this part of Turkey’s past, and describing the role of education in the creation of Turkish citizens. e second section traces how the ‘Armenian question’ has been presented in Turkish history textbooks, describing the content of the narrative within four di% erent historical phases, and highlighting the changes between each of these phases. Finally, the last section discusses the domestic and international pressures that account for these shi& s in the narrative.