Museum historian will take part at international conference about teaching the history of comunism

The Associate of the Museums Education Department Dāvis Pumpuriņš will speak about “Experience of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia in teaching about totalitarian regimes” at the conference "Education for Human Rights Through the History of the Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe" on September, 27^th and 28^th 2012 at Hotel Ramada Majestic Bucharest (Calea Victoriei 38 – 40, I.L. Caragiale Hall).

The event aims to discuss challenges and opportunities with regard to the education for human rights through the history of the recent past. The workshop’s objectives are, on the one hand, presenting, testing and improving educational tools already existing in the region and, on the other hand, sharing expertise, including practices that could be applied in other countries. The workshop will thus help to evaluate the main challenges and constrains and identify solutions to improve the study of the recent past from the perspective of education for human rights.

Participants from 18 European countries will address the further topics: a) The current situation of education about the history of communism in the region (curriculum, textbooks, approaches); b) Methodological challenges of teaching the history of communism; c) Good practices of teaching the history of communism (teaching and learning tools for the classroom; professional development for educators and other adults; extra-curriculum activities).

The conference is part of a bigger project that includes the creation of a platform and a handbook of good practices in the field of teaching the history of communism in Eastern Europe. Conference is organized by the association Respiro Human Rights Research Centre and the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile, together with the association Militia Spirituala and with the support of the Soros Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.