Earlier today my teacher asked us whether or not we think that our nations history (Australian) should be a compulsory part of our nations education system. There were a few moans about how boring it is and a few nationalists spurting their usual shit. No real arguments at all. So I'd like to get your opinion on this.
Should x countries history be taught in x country
and
Should x countries history be taught in y (a different) country.

Your comments and feedback are appreciated.

I think its important to know the History not just of your country but also about many other countries. Not only it makes us richer but it makes us understand the past in order to build a better future. For example, avoiding the wrongdoings of the past is a wise thing to do, and like George Santayana once said: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".

So yeah. It is important to know the History of your country. And it is also important to know the basic History about other countries around you or farther, whenever there's something important to be remembered/acknowledged.


However I'm against biased History lessons. For example, I'm Portuguese and when I was at school I remember how a large number of History teachers around here used to refer to the colonization of Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Goa, East Timor (and so on) as "epic achievements for us" while not mentioning how they were ruthless power-hungry bastards killing and stealing literally thousands of natives in the process! And also forgetting raise awareness to how they were much to blame for the horror of slave trading more than 500 years ago.

True True true and again true its good to know about other countries history

i think its important, but its always drasitcally biased...
im south african, and we all sort of know our history, a little... but i think in our case, theyr still trying to figure out a sylabus for it or something, without being racist and biased and bla bla bla... stupid racist country, dunno why i put up with it...

Most african history havnt finished yet, dictators still rule here, war still goes on there... Some history is irrelevant, the majority of us dont NEED to know how the khoi-san lived and survived untill tertiary education.

the point you pointed out genk "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" is only relevant in SOME parts of history. for me, apartheid is relevant, but the majority of the rest, is not.

the phrase "1)" take my attention.
1)From your phrase look like if you assume for real the existance of a historical path that repeats itself in every different civilization,but this is wrong,because this path don't exist.Every civilization have his path and its different from others.Occidental civilization isnt at the end of his path,cause only the death our civilization is the end of this path(i say "our" cause i'm part of occidental civilization).
2)Every hystory can be irrelevant(or vice versa)it only depend by the use you do with this knowledge.It can have many uses,starting from simple personal desire to know,or also for satisfy a curiosity.Then if some history would be irrelevant,this would mean that someone have to divide "utility" history from "irrelevant" history(and in truth this act is already on when governaments decide wich history must to be taught in school,and wich not).But to teach to others what u think is more right is a way for influence their toughts,so the division u did is really dangerous if apply on global scale(and an example on african state would be "if for ex, your governament let you study only about white racism on black people,and judge like "irrilevant" all the base of positivism(that is one of the best thought in occidental civilization),in this way black people will grow hating white and wanting only a revenge,thinking that ONLY thing that occidental did was to torture black people".This is only a stupid example of what can mean a bad utilization of "good" and "irrilevant" history.
So the end of my thought is that dont exist an "universal" distiction for "good" and "irrilevant" history,this can only depend by person...if i judge irrilevant something,so that "something" is irrilevant...but only for me.
I hope i was,almost in part,clear

(Historical) Background, (historical) perspective and the formation of logical thought is what can be achieved through a good, critical history course - that said it doesn't matter which country or which time era is taken to be the subject.

The whole issue with the Taliban, for example, is taken quite differently under the perspective that the USA most likely trained and supplied them.

To understand present you need to understand the history. Wars could have been prevented if the leaders and voters of the world had read enough history. And had the willingness to learn from it.
The most ignorant thing to say is "history is useless".
History is all we have, we can't see to the future and the present is past the moment we live it.
My favorite subject and wrote E from it gonna raise it to L though.

History is extremely important. If I had the choice I would have studied a lot more history in school.

By learning history you learn culture, you gain a lot of experience, you gain a lot of understanding of your country in relation to others, and most importantly you learn how diverse the world is, and to respect this.

Australian history may not be very exciting, seeing as its only been 200 years of white history, without any major accomplishments. But it is still important, even if you dont remember the exact date that Sydney was colonized you get the idea.

I think study the history of a single nation is usefull only for soddisfy a personal curiosity about the place where u were born:But it is useless if not rapported to the global history.History is made by links,and borders are only an abstract thing.
For example what utility can have studying American Indipendence War if you don't study France(and Europe)of 18 century?You'll know the date of the battle of Saratoga,but you'll don't understand the reasons behind,and how these reasons were born.
I really dislike how history is teached in High school(but also in univ isnt so nice),but this depend only by the fact that our state want to give us only culture that we need for them.We need to know only about our history for become the perfect nazionalist citizen,that,in the end,is the only citizen that a State need....

I'm pretty sure Brucia's posts are serious....