It quite a long pamphlet, 29 pages, not quite minutes, but in a similar
style.  If there is sufficient interest I could scan it for private study.

For now I ran OCR through two particular passages, so others can judge those
matter for themselves.

I raised it primarily as it seems to me to illustrate a particular mind set
of the time.

Extract B however brings a particular matter to my mind, Braudel’s two
chains argument (Mediterranean p. 902 in my copy - intro to part 3).  But an
aspiration here, is an ontology there.

Rob Tye, York, UK

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UNESCO and its Programme VI

Better History Textbooks

Extract A (p 11)

Group I. Improving the content of textbooks in general.

 1. Just who controls textbooks ?

Many participants had answered Unesco's request for information about the
textbook situation in their countries. In addition, Mr. Marcel Vanhamme, of
the Unesco Secretariat, had prepared an improved questionnaire on the
subject, in order to get information from all the participants. Group I
undertook the task of using this questionnaire in order to get a clear
picture of who controls the writing, publishing and adoption of textbooks.
Only with such a clear picture of the "levers of control" can experts plan
wisely the tactics of a campaign for textbook improvement.

As they worked on the problem, Mr. Vanhamme, Professor Lauwerys, and the 11
members of the Group found that they had to analyze a set of factors which,
in most cases, help to determine the nature of a country's textbooks and
must, therefore, be considered in any plans for their improvement. These
factors are the following : administrative control by national, provincial,
or local governments or by private groups; official courses of study;
systems of examination; official textbooks or textbook lists; commercial
competition among publishers; and unofficial textbook censorship by
patriotic, religious, or economic groups. Some history teachers, from
countries where the writing and publishing of school books are officially
uncontrolled, suddenly faced the fact that their history books were all very
much alike. Why did freedom produce uniformity? The group found the answer
in such "levers of control" as official courses of study and examinations.

Extract B (page 16)

3. World history should stress civilization rather than politics.

Although the Group was not in full agreement as to the proper content of
world history, or its relation to national history, the members were
inclined to favour more emphasis on the history of civilization and less on
political history. “Civilization” would include those human activities which
tend to unite mankind - commerce, science, technology, art and religion, in
contrast to political and military activities, which stress the national
divisions of mankind.

It was particularly noted that the history of civilization must not be
nationalistic, that is, civilization as exemplified only within one nation.
Instead, it must show the great and intricate interdependence of national
cultures, all of which give and receive benefits in relation to the rest of
the world.

The Group suggested that world unity would be strengthened by the inclusion
of the study of contemporary events, especially in the advanced years of the
secondary school.