ASSOC PROFESSOR DR. CHACHAPON JAYAPHORN
Associate Dean, Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University
Alarmed by rising social and political division, the Thai government in October decided it was time to make history a standalone core subject. While it is welcome as historians believe it will help strengthen the national identity and create mutual respect in differences, the move also stirs anxiety that the outcome might be the opposite.
There’s something about the study of history that sounds offensive to young people, particularly the 21st century generation. From their viewpoint, it is already a daunting task to master current knowledge while familiarizing with future one, so why study history?
This question echoes more strongly in cultures which regard patriotism highly. The value of history class is apparent as governments view it as an important tool in “instilling” or “restoring love and loyalty” toward the Motherland. But it’s that attitude that has pushed away today’s generation further from learning their roots and, instead, cementing their beliefs it’s time for reform.
As someone who has had passion for history since childhood with almost two decades of teaching experiences, Assoc Prof Dr Chachapon Jayaphorn, Associate Dean of Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University, had spent countless hours with his students discussing and sharing their views on the issue from different perspectives. Here’s what he has found:
Given the lack of robustness and the curriculum structure that reads like a one-sided story, focusing on memories of wars and grievances against external forces, the government’s plan is doomed to failure even before it begins.
Your knowledge on Thailand’s history was already extensive when you were a small child because you frequently went to the libraries to learn on your own. What’s your thoughts about the history teaching that emphasizes memorization?
I think the teaching of history is a form of storytelling. A teacher with good storytelling skill will be able to inspire students to love that subject. It’s the teaching method that determines whether the subject is fun and boring. The teacher’s duty is to inspire through storytelling based on facts, and to give a methodology or a tool to the students so that they know what and how to investigate the matter. Are the details based on solid evidence? If yes, why? If not, how? And if it was true, what was the motive?
If we take a look at the word ‘history’, its root word is ‘historio’ which means ‘to search, to inquire, or to investigate’, not ‘old stories’. Therefore, history is the subject of investigation. It’s wrong to teach history by having the students memorize the lessons or by telling them, “This is 1, 2, 3, 4 and that’s it. Take it as the truth. Don’t argue. Don’t change.” If we learn history without questioning, we will get stuck in the dead end.
If you ask me, “Is studying history useful?”, Definitely, it is. I see nothing wrong that the Ministry of Education want to make a separate class for this subject. Actually, it’s the right decision, but if policymakers, instructors, and even the students themselves don’t understand the true purpose of history class, the outcome will be disastrous.
If one of the purposes of studying history is to learn from past mistakes, what do we need to do in order to achieve that?
There’s one question I often ask my students before diving into the lesson: “Is the world round or flat?” They’d immediately say “Round.” I’d ask why, and they would say that it was science. “Oh! And you believe that? Why? Who do you believe? What makes you think you’re smarter than those living in the world thousand years ago?”
People in that period had their vision based on religious texts and perhaps their own ego too, while you base your belief in science. When I asked if they had tried proving that the world is round, they would always say, “No.” The truth is they’ve proven it many times. Have you ever been on a plane? Did your boat ever fall off the Earth while boarding a ship? You’ve already proven it but you never noticed it. Therefore, humans in the old era and humans in the modern era aren’t any smarter than each other if they adhere their ‘vision’ based on their beliefs without making a proof.
So, you see, the vision of people in their 70s, 60s, 50s, 40s, 30s, 20s, and ten years old are certainly different. If the policymakers are in their 70s and had positive experiences with the method used at that time, they will believe that is the right method. Everything has a history of its own. The Globalization Age has passed. The world has transitioned to the Digital Age, and is now struggling in the Disrupt Age. This is the age that everything from past to present are mixed in a hodgepodge. Everyone from the agriculture and the industrial eras to the information technology and digital areas is upset.
But if your purpose of history learning is to understand, you won’t be upset or stressed. You won’t make a judgement. When you said, “No, only today’s vision is correct”, suit yourself then. History will immediately become a killing tool. My question is: What do you get out of it? Is it fun? If we approach history this way, both youngsters and adults will begin to abandon the We-They attitude. That’s when we can return to the original question: What is patriotism? What is loyalty to the monarchy?
How often do you discuss this with your students?
Very often. The questions are endless. For each kid, “patriotism” means differently. They range from unwavering loyalty to the monarchy to a total demolition of royal institution. Some complain religions are useless because they cause conflicts. Some even dream of the world where everyone is equal, no hierarchy even with parents. Other kids say their love for the motherland is to help bring the country to prosperity, while some say we have to amend the laws to be as updated as modern technology, and so on. It was a really, really fun conversation.
I often challenge their beliefs to encourage critical thinking. Is it really okay to judge that A is guilty or innocent without knowing A? In the future, these students will be working in the legislative body or become part of the country’s justice system, with the power to seal someone’s fate. Therefore, a good judge must not be judgmental in any case. There’s no exception to this.
When you succeed in teaching them how to look at an issue from different perspectives, you can see they will start listening to what they had refused. They’ll have better understanding of what they used to hate. Once they’re willing to listen and understand, I don’t care what they believe in. When they open their hearts without prejudice, historical education will make them smarter.
So now, it all comes down to how Thailand’s history class will look like.
Exactly. If the teachers and the curriculum don’t change, and a history class is still about memorization, no questions or arguments allowed, any slight disagreement means contempt, how are we going to move forward?
In today’s history course, you can’t keep telling the students to admire and pay homage this person because he was a hero, without giving a reasonable explanation… They will simply look at you as if you were talking rubbish. Every time that happened, you just lost another opportunity to inspire them to find out why those historical figures deserve so much respect and honor. And if there’re another version of the story that leans toward a mystical legend with supernatural power, that whole chapter would be turned into an introduction to a new destination for fortune seekers on the days of lotto draws (laugh).
When the history study is based on understanding, it will lead to the innovation of thoughts. This Rethinking Process will further lead to Redesigning and Retooling. Some novelty might come out, or not. But if it does, it will trigger the Retraining Process. Hence, the saying: History makes the nation. History makes a man. It makes everything. It pushes us to rethink and question our own decisions, while proving or disproving our past actions.
If we learn history to fight and use the knowledge to exploit one another, it’s better not to have this subject at all. Although that would mean a failure to find our common roots, what’s the point finding our roots if we allow that knowledge to create further misunderstanding and destroy peace, then bring a downfall onto ourselves? Knowing your history must bring you closer and understand each other better that there’s a beauty in diversity. That’s the beauty of history.
