Whispers of the Past

One hundred years, eleven months, and one day after the Lausanne Conference wrapped up in the Aula of the Palais de Rumine, TLP’s second Teachers Workshop kicked off in the very same room. Our Greek and Turkish teachers and students, accompanied by fellow TLP convenor Angelos Palikidis and myself, gathered to share our experiences of teaching Lausanne, to network and to brainstorm ideas for a new, shared approach to teaching this important historical episode in both Greek and Turkish classrooms. The Aula certainly makes an impression, adorned with frescoes by Louis Rivier, painted between 1915 and 1923, Its ceiling is decorated with depictions of Religion, while the east and west walls celebrate Teaching – a fitting theme for our gathering. We were thrilled to meet in the very room where the treaty was signed on 24 July 1923.

A century ago those thronging the Aula heard an opening speech from Swiss president Robert Haab. Our gathering began with an introduction to the palace by Lionel Pernet, chair of the Palais de Rumine operating group, followed by a few words from me on the Lausanne Project and the aims of its Teachers Programme. Rather than seeking to impose a new, ‘correct,’ and ‘up-to-date’ historical narrative, our goal is to (re)imagine classroom activities and enrichment projects that will give high school students the skills and freedom to develop their own narratives, engaging with types of history (local history, family history) which are often absent from the classroom. TLP co-convenor Angelos Palikidis, an expert of historical pedagogy, noted that in both Greece and Turkey, high schools teach, not what really happened in the past, but what they want students to believe. After introducing themselves, our teachers and students were put into Greek/Turkish pairs to explore what Lausanne meant to them, to their community and nation, and shared experiences of teaching (as well as learning about) the Lausanne Treaty.

There are great similarities between the way history is taught in Greece and Turkey,” one Greek teacher noted, “but also significant differences.” In both countries, teachers don’t want to “deal with sensitive issues; their students and colleagues don’t like it. They don’t want to face the past.”

As a Turkish colleague put it, “We’re still living in the nation-state idea; history is still used to form ideal citizens, as part of the nation-building process.” The participants concluded that both Turkey and Greece view Lausanne as a “success”: Turkey for the gains in the treaty, and Greece for the (partial) success in the integration of refugees. This first session ended with the preparation of two Lausanne timelines, one compiled by the Greek and another by the Turkish participants. We then swapped timelines between the groups, to identify differences and reflect on them together. Whereas one group associated Lausanne with war and trauma, the other identified it with victory. “It was interesting to realize that we had different timelines of Lausanne,” one teacher from Turkey remarked.

Our next stop was the Cantonal Archives of Vaud (Archives Cantonales Vaudoises), where we were given a tour by the archive’s co-director, François Falconet, who graciously allowed us to see some of the original reports on delegations attending the conference, prepared by the Swiss Secret Police. These reports covered both the official delegations and those denied official status. The day ended with a delightful dinner at Café du Grütli, featuring (of course!) fondue.

The workshop’s second day was held at the Musée Historique Lausanne, thanks to the generosity of the MHL’s Léa Lang and Laurent Golay. This was a chance for us to get feedback on a suite of lesson plans we had already prepared, the product of a previous collaboration with Greek and Turkish teachers, also held in Lausanne, albeit one year previous. “The lesson plans were very easy to adapt and adopt,” one teacher noted. “The explanations are very clear.” Another teacher remarked that these resources’ imaginative use of the precious objects carried by exchangees into their new homeland was something “very new for our students”, inviting them to consider “the human side.” Participants agreed that storytelling could be a very effective way of teaching history. There were also some welcome critical voices. One student remarked that he prefers to focus on historical facts and truths, prompting a valuable discussion around how we might strike a balance between historical facts and historical imagination in classrooms. The group also considered how to teach complex concepts such as “imperialism” at high school level without imposing their own views.

The workshop concluded with discussion of how TLP could encourage teachers and students on both sides of the Aegean to share their Lausanne narratives with each other, as well as discussions on TLP’s forthcoming teachers’ book, along with our teacher and pupil workshop, to be held in Athens this November. All participating teachers expressed their willingness to use TLP’s materials and further experiment with them, sharing insights from their use in real-world classrooms.

As we travelled to Evian for dinner, we found ourselves gazing at the twilight skies from the ferry on Lake Geneva, musing on what we had just experienced. “I’m happy to learn from my Greek colleagues and to meet them,” one Turkish teacher commented. “The workshop broadened my perspective on both Lausanne and history.” A Greek colleague remarked that the workshop had led her to think of things she “really didn’t think of before; we were all brave; we grew up with stereotypes and we’ve overcome ourselves; there were many sensitive topics.” Everyone returned home the following day, enriched not only by the pleasure of getting to know each other and sharing experiences, but also invigorated and inspired for the next chapter of TLP’s Teachers Program.

This workshop was made possible with support from GINGKO, and with additional funding from Utrecht University. Our thanks to the Musée Historique Lausanne, Palais de Rumine and the Archives Cantonales Vaudoises for in-kind support.