Prehistoric history in Swedish primary school education: pupils' expression of empathy after visiting a cultural heritage site

This study explores the concept of historical empathy in the context of field trips for young pupils to a prehistoric heritage site in Sweden. The example discussed is a field trip to Vitlycke, a heritage and rock carving site with an associated reconstructed Bronze Age farm, where pupils had the op...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Education 3-13 Vol. 53; no. 3; pp. 378 - 392
Main Author: Almqvist Nielsen, Lena
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Long Marston Routledge 03.04.2025
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
Bronze Age
Cultural Background
Cultural heritage
Education
Empathy
Field trips
Historia
historical empathy
History
history of history education
prehistory
primary school
Teaching history
transformation of knowledge
ISSN:0300-4279, 1475-7575, 1475-7575
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This study explores the concept of historical empathy in the context of field trips for young pupils to a prehistoric heritage site in Sweden. The example discussed is a field trip to Vitlycke, a heritage and rock carving site with an associated reconstructed Bronze Age farm, where pupils had the opportunity to experience prehistory with all their senses. The study is based on the idea that historical empathy is a process that involves both cognitive and affective dimensions and that both dimensions are important for progress. The pupils were interviewed after the trip and their responses are related to the concepts of perspective recognition and care. The study shows how the cognitive and affective dimensions were interwoven in the pupils' reasoning and how the field trip contributed to an emotional and personal connection necessary for the development of historical empathy. This engagement led to a broadening and deepening of the pupils' cognitive understanding of Bronze Age life and living conditions, while the cognitive understanding of the historical context contributed to a framework in which they could use their imagination. The results also show the importance of giving pupils time to follow up on their experiences after visiting a heritage site.
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ISSN:0300-4279
1475-7575
1475-7575
DOI:10.1080/03004279.2023.2191631