Concepções de passado como expressão de consciência histórica (Understandings of the past as an expression of historical consciousness)

Marília Gago

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Abstract

The social, cultural and historical consciousness of the contemporary human being has a crucial role in taking decisions that influence the personal and collective development (Rüsen, 2000). In the field of history education research on the scope of social, historical consciousness is emerging, namely trying to understand how children, youngsters and history teachers conceptualise relationships between past, present and future, in a perspective of practical orientation of the individual to face life on society (Lee, 2001). This is a exploratory study carried out with Portuguese pupils aged 10 - 14 years and basic and secondary school teachers to understand their perspectives about how History could contribute to temporal orientation. Findings suggest that students and history teachers’ conceptions of the past and its relationships wit the present are diversified. Those conceptions might have a crucial role in the type of historical consciousness to be assumed, which in turn will be reflected in decision-taking and its grounds - sometimes more analytical other times more dogmatic.