The Edge of the “Stone Raft”. From euro-enthusiasm to moderate scepticism in Portuguese History textbooks (2000-2020)

Abstract

This paper aims to study how issues related to the European Economic Community/European Union (EEC/EU) are presented in Portuguese 9th-grade History textbooks. The methodological approach is mainly qualitative, based on a content analysis of ten textbooks, but some quantitative data was also considered in order to determine the importance given to the EEC/EU construction process and Portugal’s integration into it. It can be concluded that although the history textbooks contain some information about the political construction process, the institutions of the EEC/EU and its economic and social policies, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of Portugal’s integration into the EU, the information is mainly presented from a linear perspective and does not prioritise the development of students’ critical thinking. This study also points to a predominance of content related to national citizenship, the concept of European citizenship being presented in a brief and normative way. Our intention, in the near future, is to expand on this study, with a comparative study between Portugal and Spain, thus encompassing the stone raft.