The slow nationalization of Greek education through history teaching in the 19th century

Abstract

This paper focuses on the obstacles that occurred in the process of nationalization of Greek education during the 19th century, particularly examining the case of history teaching. In these obstacles were included the limited school attendance, the rareness of history teaching in schools and the ineptitude of teachers, the operation of a large informal net of grammar schools (grammatodidaskaleia), the disordered and ineffective educational policy of the Greek state, the uncertainty about the very context of history which should be taught, and, lastly, the continuous and persistent derision of any Greek institution, idea or personality by Greeks themselves. Although these obstacles were undoubtedly responsible for a piecemeal historical awareness, nevertheless such a school impotence wasn't able to reduce the influence of national narratives on Greeks, which was passionately cultivated by mainly journalist discourses. © 2015 eum (Edizioni Università di Macerata, Italy).