Dr. Mario Carretero is Professor of Psychology at the Universidad Autonoma Madrid/Flasco Buenos Aires, and is the Bliss Carnochan Visitor at Stanford University's Humanities Center.  His lecture will be based on his recent book, Constructing Patriotism: Teaching History and Memories in Global Worlds (2011).

Memory construction and national identity are key issues for societies. How can we believe and give sense to traditional narratives that explain the origins of nations and communities? History taught at school plays a fundamental role in the construction of collective memory, as childhood and adolescence are periods in life in which identity starts to form. This talk will present the ways in which historical knowledge is understood by students from 12 to 18 years of age and by adults.

This lecture is a presentation of the Research Focus Group on Identity.

(PS 595)