This major educational event with over 200 delegates from about 40 different countries took place in Moscow from October 4th -7th 2021. Russia as the host country along with EUROCLIO provided the vast majority of delegates attending this new event. The International delegation was about 60 in total from most European countries in addition to representatives from Chile, India and the USA as well. In August I applied to represent HTANI at this event and with my AS History textbook on Russian History to meet one of the essential criteria of looking for text book authors on Russian History. This led to an invitation to attend on behalf of HTANI with an unique opportunity to represent Northern Ireland at this major educational event for History Teachers in Moscow.
The opening session of the Congress on Monday October 4th was an impressive affair with many speeches including an opening address to the Congress by video link from the Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the afternoon there was a cultural trip arranged for the International Delegates to the Kremlin and the State Museum of History.
The next two days of the Congress saw an intensive round of presentations and workshops by a wide range of speakers on many important and interesting issues. These workshops were attended by a range of delegates and I made some contributions in workshops on how History is used to shape national identity in some states and in a workshop on the methodology for teaching difficult issues to students. Thursday October 7th the last day of the Congress was the highlight of my visit to Moscow.
From 11.00 to 16.00 the International delegates were taken on a luxury cruise through Moscow along the river that runs through this historic city for a buffet lunch. Many thanks to EUROCLIO for helping organize this event and it was great to catch up with old friends from different countries. This also gave me a chance to explain the role of History in Northern Ireland to some new friends from many different countries during the Congress and in our evening activities. The Conference was held in the President Hotel Moscow where we stayed in first class conditions for six days in total.
Jim
For more about the event see Euroclio’s press release