Uchronia is a reimagining of history, which can take the form of speculative fiction where a historical event is rewritten to explore different choices or imaginary scenarios leading to a change in history.
As part of the European Reframe the Story project, we aim to investigate how uchronia can transform educational practices. Traditional school curricula often present linear, dominant narratives that do not reflect the diversity of identities and experiences.
To explore how alternative histories can foster more inclusive and engaging learning environments, we asked Elsa Fraysse, a trainee educator at Les Apprimeurs, to analyse current practices in the English-speaking world. Her contribution highlights how alternate history is used to enhance representation, accessibility and critical engagement in education.
Challenging dominant narratives
Afrofuturism is an example of how alternate history can be used to envision a utopia for marginalised identities. It is an artistic and media movement that imagines a utopia for Black people where history has taken a different course.
Like writers, teachers use alternate history to spark their pupils’ interest in history and literature. The teaching of history and languages requires a pedagogy that is accessible to neurodivergent learners and inclusive of all identities.
School textbooks present history primarily through the lens of a predominantly white, Western civilisation. Afrofuturism in the classroom helps to challenge representations and possibilities for marginalised communities. Bettina L. Love explains how the graphic novel, and now the film Black Panther, can be used in the classroom to facilitate a discussion on how slavery, colonialism and capitalism were intertwined and ultimately altered the course of Africa’s future. Afrofuturism allows students to imagine a world without injustice, which can help shed light on the work in the real world towards social justice and the tools we need to achieve greater equality. At the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), workshops are being held to develop a curriculum based on Black Panther, designed for all school levels.
Examples of alternate history in educational practice
‘Intellectual Mixtapes’, developed by Tyechia Thompson and Dashiel Carrera, is an educational tool inspired by Afrofuturism. It encourages pupils to take ownership of the content studied in class by rephrasing it and recording it orally, in their own voices, in the form of ‘mixtapes’. This approach allows pupils to form a personal connection with the subject matter, shifting from a passive to an active role. They no longer simply receive history: they interpret it, question it and reconstruct it. In this way, they develop their critical thinking skills and position themselves as active participants in understanding and rewriting historical narratives.
At St Vincent’s Primary School, Timesliders is a pilot educational programme developed by the National Trust for Scotland to help children better understand the history of Scotland. The programme offers immersive activities inspired by escape games: pupils must solve challenges linked to different time periods (past, present and possible futures). To this end, it combines various teaching resources, such as drama and podcasts. These formats enable pupils to work on history, science and literacy skills simultaneously, making learning more tangible and engaging.
iCivics is an online educational platform offering simulation activities to introduce pupils to citizenship and how institutions work. Pupils take part in real-life scenarios where they must consider issues relating to rights and the law. For example, in the game Do I Have a Right?, they run a law firm and advise citizens on their rights. In Executive Command, they make decisions by stepping into the shoes of a president. These simulations give pupils an active role: they experience first-hand how democracy works and gain a better understanding of how laws protect citizens’ rights.
Historiana is a free online platform developed by EuroClio as an alternative to traditional history textbooks. It enables complex or sensitive topics to be addressed in an evolving manner, incorporating new research and perspectives. Unlike traditional textbooks, it does not present a single version of history, but draws on varied and complementary sources. The aim is to offer a more inclusive approach, which takes different perspectives into account and helps pupils better understand the diversity of historical interpretations.
The educational potential of Uchronia
Uchronia offers several benefits as an educational tool:
- It engages pupils actively: they can put themselves in the shoes of people making decisions.
- It uses narrative as a journey to explore, with different possible paths.
- It encourages emotional engagement, which helps students become more involved.
- It aids understanding by placing events in context.
- It improves retention, as pupils are actively experiencing something rather than simply listening.
- Used in the form of a game, it requires action and engages both thought and activity, which reinforces learning.
- It can draw on family and intergenerational knowledge, encouraging exchanges with loved ones.
- It offers a variety of formats (oral, written, visual), making it more accessible, particularly for neurodivergent pupils.
- It stimulates the imagination by inviting students to think differently about the past and to envisage different futures.
Learning outcomes
The use of alternate history in education contributes to the development of:
- Empathy
- Cultural awareness
- Critical thinking
- Inclusion of neurodivergent learners
Sources:
- ‘Historiana’ – EuroClio – European Association of History Teachers (2013)
- “iCivics” – iCivics is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organisation (2009)
- “Timesliders” – The National Trust for Scotland (2022)
- ‘A reflective approach to learning through alternate history’ – by Melody Laurent, Nicolas Szilas, Domitile Lourdeaux and Serge Bouchardon (2016)
- “Black Panther in the Classroom” Harvard University – by Lucia Berliner (2018)
- “We Want To Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom” – by Bettina L. Love (2019)