Fractured mirrors: History education in postcommunist transition of Georgia and Poland
Fractured mirrors: History education in postcommunist transition of Georgia and Poland

Summary/Abstract: This article examines how the pre-communist independence periods of Poland and Georgia are represented in school history textbooks of the communist and post-communist eras. Based on a qualitative content analysis of six textbooks (three from each country), the text explores how ideological frameworks shaped national narratives in education. The findings show that communist-era textbooks marginalized or distorted these periods of national independence, presenting events through a Marxist-Leninist lens that prioritized class struggle and portrayed the Soviet Union as a “liberator.” In the post-communist era, the same period was reinterpreted as a heroic age of sovereignty, democratic aspirations, and national sacrifice, although textbook narratives were often romanticized and selective in their treatment of ethnic diversity, internal conflicts, and social contradictions. The article highlights history education as an instrument of power and a site of contested memory. In transitional societies, textbooks are not only educational tools but also mechanisms for the formation of national identity and the legitimization of political agendas. The cases of Poland and Georgia illustrate the fragility of democratic traditions in contested geopolitical contexts and highlight the continuing role of history education in the development of collective memory and values.

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