Combatting Bigotry through Canon and Curriculum – Teaching the Holocaust in Denmark’s Upper Secondary Sector

Egede-Pedersen, Brian (2026) Combatting Bigotry through Canon and Curriculum – Teaching the Holocaust in Denmark’s Upper Secondary Sector. HURBÁN: EGYÜTTÉLÉS ÖSSZEOMLÁS ÚJRAKEZDÉS, 4 (1). pp. 13-29. ISSN 3004-023X

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Abstract

This paper examines the ways in which the Holocaust has been and is included as a canonical point in different parts of the Danish education system since the beginning of 2022 and the effects of doing so. This analysis is done through the application of a theoretical framework on the reception and communication of the past and the purpose of teaching history to a broad range of sources, including official statements from the Ministry of Education and interviews with students alongside classroom observation and visits to HDKE. The conclusion of the paper is that the Holocaust was added to Denmark’s historical canon explicitly as a key element in a strategy to counter rising antisemitism and that doing so was deemed necessary due to recent extremist developments across the globe. However, the wording of the primary school canon may lead to too much focus on the heroic side of Denmark’s role, sweeping the less-than-savoury stories under the rug. This is a sharp contrast to the upper secondary school approach, where students display far more understanding of the dehumanisation of the Holocaust, including at their final exams.

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