Manipulating history

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OHTE Annual
Conference 2026

oct

Strasbourg
& Online

Registration for
institutions (in person)

Programme

8 OCTOBER
9 OCTOBER
Side-events

OPENING SESSION: “HISTORY AT ALL COSTS”

Moderation: Alex TAYLOR, European Journalist

Opening words
Bjørn BERGE,
Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Moderation: Alex TAYLOR – European Journalist

Opening words
Bjørn BERGE – Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Francesca CAMILLERI VETTIGER – Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Malta to the Council of Europe, Representative of the Maltese Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers

Panel
Sofia ZACHARAKI – Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Greece
Mykola TROFYMENKO (online) – Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Ukraine
Josep Anton BARDINA PAU – State Secretary for Education and Universities, Andorra
Dimitris P. SOTIROPOULOS – Chair of the OHTE Governing Board

OHTE Debate: “HISTORY AND POLITICS – THE UNBREAKABLE BOND?”

Moderation: Alex TAYLOR, European Journalist

In today’s world, citizens often find themselves trapped in echo chambers, swayed by emotion-driven content on social media, and pushed toward polarised views. Space for dialogue and mutual understanding is shrinking. Could debates help restore reasoned exchange? Could they offer citizens a way to shape their own opinions, in their own space, while recognising that no complex issue has a simple yes-or-no answer? Inspired by the Oxford model, the inaugural edition of the OHTE Debates will address the motion: “History should not be used as a political tool.” The event will spotlight outstanding students from several countries in a House debate, followed by an engaging exchange with leading European personalities.

House Format
Jonah BERGER – PhD Researcher in History, European University Institute of Florence
Albana BIKAJ – MA in History of Political Thought and Intellectual History, University College London and Queen Mary University of London
Ellie DOUSKA – PhD student in Contemporary History, University Jean Moulin Lyon III – LARHRA Lyon
Andrii KARPENKO – MA in History, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Pietro MASSAINI – PhD student in Political Sciences at University of Rome La Sapienza and University of Strasbourg
Anne DE MONTLAUR – Master student in English and American History at the ENS Paris-Saclay and in Public Policy at the Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas

Debaters
Sonja LICHT – President of the Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society
Markus MECKEL – Former Diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the German Democratic Republic

Observer
Alain LAMASSOURE – Former French Minister and Founding President of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe

Plenary Session 1: “HISTORY EDUCATION: A SAFE BET FOR DEMOCRACY”

Moderation: Alex TAYLOR, European Journalist
Placing trust in history to reinforce democracy and its fundamental values seems a fairly safe choice. Yet, as with any venture, some risks remain: how can we ensure that history education truly reflects and supports these values?
This is a crucial question because if we fail, history teaching risks becoming a tool for ideologies that run counter to democracy.

Moderation: Alex TAYLOR – European Journalist

Placing trust in history to reinforce democracy and its fundamental values seems a fairly safe choice. Yet, as with any venture, some risks remain: how can we ensure that history education truly reflects and supports these values?
This is a crucial question because if we fail, history teaching risks becoming a tool for ideologies that run counter to democracy.

Panel
Joëlle ALAZARD – Chair of the Association of Professors of History and Geography (APHG), Lycée Louisle-Grand, Paris
Niklas AMMERT – Professor of History, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Linnaeus University, Member of the International Network of Historical Consciousness and Democracy (INoHiDe)
Lise BUTLER – Doctor in Modern History, Senior Lecturer in Modern History, City St. George’s, University of London
Eva-Clarita PETTAI – Doctor in Political Science, Free University of Berlin and Director of Studies at the Europäische Acadamie of Schleswig-Holstein
Villano QIRIAZI – Head of Education Department, Council of Europe

Screening: “IS DEMOCRACY WORTH THE TROUBLE?”

This session will present the documentary that gathers the learnings of “Changing Democracies”, a European project that explores how Europe’s living history about recent transitions to democracy can help us to grasp what processes are needed today for democracy to fulfil its promises for everyone. It is the result of a collaboration between 12 partners from 10 European countries and was coordinated by the Evens Foundation and EuroClio with funding from the European Commission.

OHTE Talk: “TEACHING HISTORY IN A WORLD WITHOUT CONSENSUS”

Moderation: Matjaž GRUDEN, Director for Democracy, Council of Europe
In this new OHTE Talk, the importance for democracies of investing in high-quality history teaching will be underlined. In a world marked by disagreements and polarisation, history education can both offer younger generations the prospect of a democratic and peaceful future, and equip them with the tools to understand and face today’s complex challenges.

Moderation: Matjaž GRUDEN – Director for Democracy, Council of Europe

In this new OHTE Talk, the importance for democracies of investing in high-quality history teaching will be underlined. In a world marked by disagreements and polarisation, history education can both offer younger generations the prospect of a democratic and peaceful future, and equip them with the tools to understand and face today’s complex challenges.

Yascha MOUNK – Political Scientist and author, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, Washington D.C., and Visiting Professor at Sciences-Po Paris

Plenary Session 2: “ECONOMIC CRISES IN HISTORY TEACHING: WHAT SUPPLY, WHAT DEMAND?”

Moderation: Raul CÂRSTOCEA, Professor of History, Maynooth University
This session will enable those involved in the production of the second OHTE Thematic Report on Economic
Crises in History Teaching to present its main findings. The audience will be encouraged to take part in the discussions, focusing on how economic crises are taught in history education across Europe.

Moderation: Raul CÂRSTOCEA – Professor of History, Maynooth University

This session will enable those involved in the production of the second OHTE Thematic Report on Economic
Crises in History Teaching to present its main findings. The audience will be encouraged to take part in the discussions, focusing on how economic crises are taught in history education across Europe.

with
Steffen SAMMLER – Historian at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media I Georg Eckert Institute and senior lecturer at the Technical University of Braunschweig; co-ordinator of the group of experts responsible for drafting the second OHTE Thematic Report
Ann-Laure LIEVAL – Member of the OHTE Scientific Advisory Council, Professeure agrégée of History & Teacher Trainer, Lycée Fénélon of Lille

Plenary Session 3: “THE COST OF FORGETTING: WHY ECONOMIC CRISES SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN HISTORY”

Moderation: Olena PALKO, Assistant Professor at the Chair for East-European History at the University of Basel, Chair of the OHTE Scientific Advisory Council
Based on the findings of the OHTE’s second Thematic Report on Economic Crises in History Teaching, this
session will provide the opportunity to discuss in-depth the place of economic crises and economy in history teaching and why this is relevant for learners. Through concrete examples and diverse perspectives, we’ll see that economic crises have played a major role throughout history in forming our modern societies, in all their facets.

Moderation: Olena PALKO – Assistant Professor at the Chair for East-European History at the University of Basel, Chair of the OHTE Scientific Advisory Council

Based on the findings of the OHTE’s second Thematic Report on Economic Crises in History Teaching, this
session will provide the opportunity to discuss in-depth the place of economic crises and economy in history teaching and why this is relevant for learners. Through concrete examples and diverse perspectives, we’ll see that economic crises have played a major role throughout history in forming our modern societies, in all their facets.

Panel
Marco COKIC – PhD Student in Economic History, LSE | London School of Economics and Political Science
Francesco BOLDIZZONI – Professor of Economic History, University of Palermo
George PAGOULATOS – Greek Ambassador to the OECD, Professor of European Politics and Economy at the School of Economics of the Athens University of Economics and Business, and Visiting Professor at the
College of Europe
Aliette QUINT – Chair of HENSOLDT Nexeya France, Representative of Plus Europa

Closing Session: “5 YEARS OF OHTE – INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF HISTORY TEACHING”

Moderation: Aurora AILINCĂI, Executive Director of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe
Conference Report
Serena GANDOGONON,
Student at Sciences Po Strasbourg
Vladimir GILG,
Student at Sciences Po Strasbourg

Moderation: Aurora AILINCĂI – Executive Director of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe

Conference Report
Serena GANDOGONON – Student at Sciences Po Strasbourg
Vladimir GILG – Student at Sciences Po Strasbourg

Closing words
Marja RUOTANEN – Director General of Democracy and Human Dignity, Council of Europe
Pap NDIAYE – Ambassador, Permanent Representative of France to the Council of Europe

Roundtable organised by the Grand Est Region: “MEMORIES OF THE 20TH CENTURY: WHAT CROSS-BORDER AND EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE?”

Link to the programme

Panel discussion organised by the City and Eurometropole of Strasbourg : “HISTORY: A WEAPON OF WAR AND A BULWARK OF DEMOCRACY”

Link to the programme
Only in French, no interpretation

Link to the programme
Only in French, no interpretation

Moderation
Nora TAFIROULT – Speaker Media
Helena KONDAK – Speaker Media

Panel
Joëlle ALAZARD – Senior History Teacher at Lycée Louis-le-Grand, PhD in History, and President of the French Association of History and Geography Teachers (APHG)
Alain BLUM – Director of Studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS), and Research Director at the French National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED)
Pap NDIAYE – Ambassador, Permanent Representative of France to the Council of Europe

in the spotlight this year

OHTE TALKS

Dealing with artificial historians: disinformation in the age of AI

This OHTE Talk will explore the transformative impact of emerging technologies on the ways history is researched, taught and understood. By examining both the opportunities and the challenges created by digital tools, artificial intelligence and new forms of knowledge production, the session will invite reflection on how technological developments are reshaping access to historical information and the transmission of historical knowledge. It will also address the need to balance innovation with methodological rigour, highlighting how educators and institutions can harness new technologies to support critical thinking, strengthen historical understanding and promote responsible engagement with the past in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

MARNIE HUGHES-WARRINGTON

Bradley Distinguished Professor of History/Philosophy, School of Humanities, Adelaide University, Australia

The machine of lies: propaganda and the misuse of history

This OHTE Talk will explore the historical roots, mechanisms and contemporary manifestations of propaganda and disinformation, examining how narratives are deliberately constructed to influence public opinion and shape collective memory. By viewing these phenomena through a long-term historical lens, light will be shed on the strategies used to legitimise power, mobilise societies and manipulate perceptions of the past and present. The session will also invite reflections on the role of education in equipping learners with the analytical tools required to recognise these processes, fostering critical awareness and strengthening democratic resilience in an increasingly complex information environment.

FABRICE D’ALMEIDA

Professor of History, Chair of the Department of Information sciences and communication, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas

Gen Z are better equipped to identify manipulations of History than Baby Boomers

Deadline: 10 July 2026

Are younger generations better equipped than seniors to spot and question disinformation on history. Let's make a debate out of it.

OHTE Debates aim to break opinion echo chambers, stimulate critical thinking, and contribute to the Council of Europe’s New Democratic Pact and its broader mission to renew democratic culture across the continent.

Are you under 30 and do you want to join the Gen Z House? Have a look at the conditions to apply below.

Apply now

Real or Fake?

Starting on 1 September, take our challenge to see if you can spot manipulations and disinformation in historical sources. Register now to be notified when the game is afoot!

Speakers

View all

Aurora AILINCĂI

Executive Director of the OHTE, Head of the History Education Division, Council of Europe

Joëlle ALAZARD

Chair of the Association of Professors of History and Geography (APHG), Lycée Louis-le-Grand, Paris

Niklas AMMERT

Professor of History, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Linnaeus University, Member of the International Network of Historical Consciousness and Democracy (INoHiDe)

Josep Anton BARDINA PAU

Secretary of State for Education and Universities, Ministry of Institutional Relations, Education and Universities, Government of Andorra

Bjørn BERGE

Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Jonah J. BERGER

PhD Researcher in History, European University Institute of Florence

Albana BIKAJ

MA in History of Political Thought and Intellectual History, University College London and Queen Mary University of London

Francesco BOLDIZZONI

Professor of Economic History, University of Palermo

Lise BUTLER

Doctor in Modern History, Senior Lecturer in Modern History, City St. George’s, University of London

Francesca CAMILLERI VETTIGER

Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Malta to the Council of Europe, Representative of the Maltese Presidency of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers

View all

The New Democratic Pact for Europe - Council of Europe

ONE STEP AHEAD
IN HISTORY EDUCATION

Deadline: 10 July 2026

This year, we want to showcase innovative initiatives in history education for countering disinformation on history.

Apply now for one of the categories:

Recognising historical disinformation inside and outside the classroom
Pedagogical approaches in the age of fake news
Public history - the perfect place to debunk disinformation

Conditions in the download link here.

How to Apply Apply now

OHTE DATA VIZ

The mission of the Observatory is to provide a clear picture of the state of history teaching. Our data visualisation project aims to do just that. Check it out!

SEE THE DATA