Parallel Histories

This is a potentially eye-opening cultural activity that can often uncover major differences in how we learn about the supposedly absolute topic of “history.” To do this, everyone in the course (including you) will need a blank sheet of paper. Everyone starts by writing the city/country in which they attended high school. Then, you pick a topic such as “World War II.” Each person then writes down the three biggest issues/events/turning points during the war. You can also choose time periods (e.g. the 80’s), disasters (e.g. the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki), people (e.g. Mao Zedong) or issues (e.g. history of feminism). Pick topics that are particularly relevant to your culture so that you know you’ll have a lot to say about them. After everyone has written their three bullets, you each share what you wrote. After everyone shares, you can discuss how this reflects on underlying values, and how discrepancies may influence global understanding.