Whose history is this anyway? Social justice and a history curriculum

History is the most contested of curricular subjects in all western democratic states. This article begins by setting out competing models of a history curriculum highlighting the shifting trends that have taken place in different types of schools in England in recent years. The different models of a history curriculum are critiqued from the dual perspectives that underpin social justice, namely, redistribution and recognition. In identifying different priorities in school history, this article draws from two small-scale empirical research projects which elicited the perspectives of different groups of teenage school students towards history, and included students based in multi-ethnic schools as well as those in largely white, homogenous, schools in more deprived areas. An inclusive, multi-perspective and dynamic approach towards history curriculum development is offered as a way forward for addressing issues of social justice within a history curriculum.