Introduction: The Epistemology of History and the Realities of Teaching

This introduction establishes the framework of the book. It introduces some basic concepts of epistemology in history and history teaching, a brief overview of the field, and the problems that are faced at the present, including the difficulties in establishing consistent views, the ‘wobbling’ of teachers on epistemic issues, and what this means for the field in general and for the idea of teachers’ epistemological views creating opportunities or obstacles in the teaching of history to students. The chapter is also an outline of the entire book, describing the parts of the book, as well as each individual chapter.