Does history make a good citizen? The role of adult education in the process of rethinking the past and its impact on democratization (a case study in Eastern Europe)

Abstract

This paper will present the results of a research project that deals with the topic „Coming to Terms with the Past as a Problem of Adult Education. A case study in Eastern and Central Europe”. This project aims to define and describe the problem and phenomenon of dealing with a totalitarian past in educational institutions in contexts of social transformation after the fall of the communist regimes. It concentrates on Poland, Russia and Ukraine with respect to civic education for youths and adults. Emphasis will be laid on the connection between conceptions of the past and conceptions of democracy and civic education among educators.