On Thursday, 23th January at 12.00, Dr. Paul Sturtevant will lecture a seminar at the CCHS-CSIC (Madrid) on the following topic:

Everyone but You is Stupid! Assessing the Assessments of Public Historical Knowledge

This paper explores how the public's understanding of the past is typically presented in the UK media-- typified by sensationalist headlines proclaiming widespread general ignorance. The public, we are led to believe, is full of idiots who believe historical figures are fictional, fictional characters real, and who cannot recall even the most basic events of the Grand National Narrative of history that is central to a conservative view of ideal pedagogical practice. These stories cite as their sources "surveys of historical ignorance", pseudo-academic studies which deploy fundamentally flawed research methods in order to promote this perception of mass ignorance. This is done in order to sell TV programs, books, and package holidays. And while this phenomenon may be of relatively little consequence, these selfsame studies are also being cited by public policymakers in order to justify their proposed changes to national history curricula. Instead, this paper will explore the handful of valid social-sciences-based studies of the public's engagement with the past, and how we as academics might use these to more effectively work with policymakers and wider audiences.

You will find all relevant information in the attached poster.