Review: Conference on «History Didactics revisited»
On September 4 and 5, 2025, the tenth edition of the conference Geschichtsdidaktik empirisch (Empirical History Didactics) took place in Basel—an anniversary that impressively underscored the continuity and relevance of empirical research in history didactics. Since its inception, the conference has established itself as a central platform for theory-driven, methodologically diverse, and practice-oriented research in German-speaking countries. This year’s event once again demonstrated how closely history education research is linked to social developments, school practice, and educational policy challenges.
The conference was opened by Waldis Monika (FHNW University of Teacher Education), who emphasized the importance of empirical research for the further development of the discipline. The first keynote address by Andreas Körber (University of Hamburg) and Paul Zanazanian (McGill University, Montreal) focused on the concept of reflexivity as an approach to historical consciousness. In a dialogical format, two perspectives were developed on the question of how reflexivity as a didactic principle can contribute to deepening learning processes and promoting practical engagement with the past, present, and future. Julia Thyroff (FHNW School of Education) moderated the discussion.
The panels on Thursday morning focused on historical culture and colonialism as well as digital historical thinking. Discussions covered decolonial potential, regional historical cultures, and attitudes toward colonial history, as well as digital learning environments, documentary teaching research, and the interface between historical and literary reading.
On Thursday afternoon, the focus was on professional development opportunities for preventing anti-Semitism and the historical-didactic examination of digital games. The contributions ranged from empirical studies on promoting history-conscious empathy to methodological approaches to analyzing interactive narratives and STEAM reviews.
Die zweite Keynote am Donnerstagabend, moderiert von Jonas Schobinger (Pädagogische Hochschule FHNW), thematisierte den digitalen Wandel im Geschichtsunterricht. Marcel Mierwald (Technische Universität Braunschweig) präsentierte empirische Einsichten in die Transformation schulischer Praxis, während Alexandra Krebs (Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich) geschichtskulturelle Debatten im digitalen Raum analysierte.
On Friday morning, digital beliefs and student narratives were discussed. Contributions highlighted teachers’ ideas about the role of AI and virtual reality in the classroom, as well as the evaluation of young people’s narratives about their country and their significance for teaching practice.
Friday afternoon was devoted to post-migrant perspectives in history teaching, profession-related research, and the establishment of long-term research practices. Topics discussed included strategies for dealing with controversial issues in the classroom, the role of history education journals as a tool for professional development, and interdisciplinary concepts for sustainable teaching and continuing education research.
The third keynote speech by Gerhard Stoel (Radboud University) and Monika Waldis (PH FHNW) focused on the connection between social issues and subject-specific learning. The discussion focused on approaches to promoting cross-curricular educational goals, interdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthening history teaching skills in teacher training. Martin Nitsche (FHNW University of Teacher Education) moderated the discussion.
Ten years of empirical history didactics – that means ten years of scientific exchange, methodological development, and disciplinary self-assurance. The anniversary edition has shown that history didactics is research-intensive, socially relevant, and future-oriented. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the organizing team at the FHNW School of Education, the presenters, and all participants for two insightful days full of discussions, perspectives, and inspiration.