Colonialism and imperialism in Austrian history curricula and textbooks (1945–2023)

Abstract

The article considers the depiction of colonialism and imperialism in Austrian textbooks (n = 61) and curricula issued since the commencement of the Second Republic in 1945. The analysis indicates that textbooks made use of the freedom afforded them by state stipulations, which, while evidently taking a distinctly eurocentric point of view, give textbook authors scope for taking decisions on the inclusion or exclusion of particular topics. The textbooks studied covered various aspects of this area of history that curricula did not list expressly, such as the impact of European colonial aggression on Indigenous populations. Simultaneously, the analysis showed a long absence from textbooks of colonialism’s implications throughout history to the present day, and demonstrated that textbooks reproduced racist ideas well into the 2000s, with corresponding effects on perceptions of history among Austrian population today.