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Editor's Note: Located in the antique city of Braunshweig in the Niedersachsen state of Germany, the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook (the "GEI") is a specialized research institute with worldwide reputation for its accomplishments in systematic research and international activities in historical reconciliation and textbook issues, which started with the collection and possession of textbooks from around the world. The GEI's latest activities will be highlighted in an interview with GEI Deputy Director Eckhardt Fuchs essentially responsible for the operations of the institute. This interview was conducted in the Deputy Director's office on September 12, 2012 by Hwang Sung-jun, Administrative Staff at the Office of Policy Planning of the NAHF during Hwang's stay in Germany.

The GEI is a name already familiar to the relevant academic circles and experts in Korea, but probably not as much to general readers. Could you make an introduction to its background, activities, and main missions for them?

The birth of the GEI is closely connected with Europe's historical experience. After the First World War that devastated Europe, the League of Nations initiated campaigns for textbook revision when they realized the need for reflection and introspection on the textbook of each of the nations in its perception and description of the other nations. The campaigns were stalled, until rekindled by the UNESCO after the Second World War as the collective experience of the two tragic wars led to the consensus that reflection on the history of the past and historical reconciliation were needed. Against this backdrop, the GEI was founded by the German historian Georg Eckert who had been widely active in areas related to textbook for historical reconciliation with the neighboring countries invaded by Germany. Later, in 1975, the GEI came into the shape of the modern institute that it is today in accordance with the state law of Niedersachsen. And in 1985, the GEI was awarded the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education recognizing its academic and practical contribution to historical reconciliation in the areas of textbook and education. The GEI places the primary focus of its research activities on the descriptions of self and of others in the textbook and other education media, the formation system of image and knowledge structure, the social influence and effect of textbook, etc. Based on these research results, the GEI is also participating in practical activities, including education policy development and proposal, and suggestion of textbook-writing guidelines.

According to its homepage, the GEI has as many as ten research projects underway. What are the research topics or areas that are of the GEI's particular interest lately? And what are the topics and directions of its future studies?

Recently, the GEI is conducting a study on 'Europe and Europeans' as a mid- to long-term research project under the title 'European House.' How Europe and Europeans should be described in the textbook is not a simple question to answer, although you may think otherwise. In reality, the expansion of the EU, human and material exchanges that have become commonplace, and the change and convergence of political, economic, and cultural landscapes within Europe are calling for the definition and established identity of a new Europe and new Europeans completely different from the ones from the Cold War era. A study on the textbook description of Europe and Europeans that will meet the needs of the changing times is not only extremely significant but an important project of the times. And the GEI is conducting a variety of interdisciplinary studies on this subject by field.

Although it may sound a little bit vague and broad, my answer to the question of the next research topic is, in a word, 'diversity.' As it is still in the conceptual phase, and it is to be developed into the GEI's next mid- to long-term project, it still has many aspects that need fine-tuning. So there is only so much I can explain clearly at this point. But the 'diversity' that I'm talking about here as a research topic will be about how to teach 'diversity' to posterity, help them understand it in the context of minority, gender, race, religion, and culture conflict across the borders or within a country, and what roles the textbook should play in the process. As the mid-term 'European House' project is scheduled to be completed by 2015, the next research topic will be determined sooner or later.

What are the projects, if any, that the GEI is interested in pursuing other than research activities, in terms of the institute's operations?

The GEI is relatively well known among the relevant academic circles or experts. In other words, however, this means that the GEI's approach is much too academic and specialized, and targeted to an extremely limited group of users. 'Transferring' the GEI's research results and accomplishments to the outside so that they can be exposed to more people is still one of the areas that we need to work on. To address it, we are considering effective ways to reach out to the general public or non-experts who may be interest in the textbook issues, in addition to the existing activities targeted at experts such as publication of academic books and journals. The Web-based 'Edumeres.net' site has been developed, and is now up for pilot operations. Once completed, the site will provide information on the textbook systems of countries around the world and their current status (e.g. the writing/selection/distribution system, the status of textbook publishers, curriculum) that can be freely accessed not only by researchers specialized in this field but also by teachers, educational material developers, experts in other related fields, and ordinary citizens.

Let's switch the subject to textbook and historical reconciliation. I understand that the GEI is carrying out the Germany-Poland joint textbook project. Please make a brief introduction to the project's status and future plans.

In 2008, the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland agreed on the publication of joint textbook. Since 2010, the GEI has been providing professional and academic assistance and practical coordination for the writing, publication, and distribution of the textbook. The joint textbook project took off in earnest in 2010 as the academic circles and experts groups of both countries prepared and announced the joint Recommendations. Currently, overall preparations for the writing of the textbook are proceeding as scheduled. In February this year, the German and Polish publishers to be responsible for the publication and sales of the joint textbook were also determined. Deciding which publishers to choose, which would have tremendous influence on the distribution and spread of the joint textbook, is no less important than deciding which contents to include in the textbook. The selected Polish publisher is one of the largest textbook publishers within Poland, and its German counterpart is also a company with reputation and significant market share, so we have high expectations on both. According to the current road map, the Germany-Poland joint textbook will be published in a series of a total of four volumes by 2020, starting from Volume 1 in 2015.

Germany has also published joint textbooks with France. Was there any challenge, or anything to remark in the process of promoting the Germany-Poland joint textbooks?

The first thing we must understand is that this joint textbook is not a special textbook limited to the history of relations between Germany and Poland or the issues of the history of the past. It is a general 'European history' textbook used in school in Germany and Poland. But when it comes to viewpoint and approach, it will reflect more of the viewpoints of Eastern and Central Europe. And in this overall context, the history of Germany-Poland relations will be described and reviewed more in-depth in this textbook than in the old ones. Naturally, the history of the tragic times of the early 20th century will be covered in the process.

It is true that different opinions are voiced and agreement is not readily reached on the contents and direction of the writing of the textbook when it comes to what we call the 'past history' issue. Besides, between Germany and Poland, there is a difference in the people's perception of the significance and influence of textbook, and also undeniable disagreement resulting from differences in system, such as textbook publication, management, and distribution systems. Nevertheless, Germany and Poland have the experiences and networks built over the past decades, including the joint textbook committee launched in 1975, as academic circles and experts groups have constantly promoted historical dialogue. Yes, there are challenges, but none of them are insurmountable mountains. As I mentioned earlier, one of the areas on which we focus our efforts, in addition to the contents. is the actual distribution and spread of the textbook. The Germany-France joint textbook first released in 2006, although it was an accomplishment of historical significance without doubt, had much to be desired in terms of marketability. Keeping in mind the lessons learned from the Germany-France textbook, we will do our best to ensure that this Germany-Poland textbook will be a bona fide joint textbook of both countries.

The NAHF is working with the GEI on the 'European edition of East Asian history supplementary textbooks publication project.' Where do you see the significance of this project lies? Please comment on the project's progress, challenges faced, and plans ahead.

When the NAHF suggested that we should try a historiography of Northeast Asia from the viewpoint of regional history rather than the traditional nation-centered historiography, my instinct told me that it was a good idea. When there are sharp historical conflicts among the countries within the region, the traditional nation-centered historiography is highly likely to clash with the historical views and perception of its neighboring countries. Furthermore, I'm sure that there are some aspects of historical, cultural interactions among Korea, China, and Japan that have failed to be known properly due to nation-centered historiography. Additionally, the NAHF was also right in pointing out that despite the rise of Northeast Asia and Europe's growing interest in the region, there were not many textbooks in which the history of interactions among the three Northeast Asian countries was treated equally and presented with an objective view.

The joint project launched at the NAHF's suggestion is now in its third year, planning to complete the writing by the end of this year and focus on publication and distribution next year. As I already mentioned earlier, to make the textbook marketable is no less important than its contents. To this end, we are discussing a variety of PR strategies, including participating in textbook fairs, and utilizing textbook developers groups and teachers associations. As this is a new attempt for us, it may need a lot of improvement from the perspectives of Korea. Please understand that it is growing pains, as it were, that we go through when we attempt something new and take on new challenge.

The Northeast Asian region is faced with sharp historical conflicts. What are your suggested solutions or action plans in the textbook area for historical reconciliation?

he historical conflicts issue is much more closely related to the question of 'historical perception' of how to make sense of historical facts than to those historical facts themselves. That explains why the historical reconciliation issue is characteristically difficult to resolve within a short period of time. And it will be made much more complicated if combined with other factors such as national policy, national sentiment, political situation, and international relations and interactions.

As can be seen from Europe's experience, the willingness and effort to have incessant dialogue, and overcome the perception gap with a longer time frame and patience is important above all else.

To mention specific action plans limited to the areas of textbook. I think that the participation of people from all walks of life, including the academia, experts, and teachers, of the two countries in supplementary textbook development and distribution can be a significant starting point. The supplementary textbook may not be expected to have influence or power equal to the government-authorized official textbook, of course. But this may indicate the difficulty for the government-authorized textbook in reaching agreement on hot issues and laying a foundation for historical reconciliation. Recently, schools are using not only traditional paper textbooks but a variety of learning material and media. I'd like to reiterate that this in itself may not be a solution but can be a starting point. In this respect, I think that the NAHF promoting the Korea-Japan joint supplementary textbook development project is very welcoming and encouraging news.