History Education Moratoria During Transitions to Democracy

This chapter investigates under which conditions a history education moratorium—a deliberate and temporary suspension of primary or secondary history education in post-authoritarian and post-conflict settings—is democratic. It examines all aspects of moratoria, including their duration and impact, and the reasons to institute them. To be democratic, moratoria have to meet a test: they must be prescribed by law; they must be at the direct service of the realization of peace; and their application must be shown to be necessary and proportional to achieving this interest, that is, they should be limited to recent history, with a short time span, and on as small a scale as possible.