Conflicting Narratives
Developed for Minnesota History Fest 2023, this workshop session aims to generate ideas and strategies for World History teachers to address this benchmark in the new state standards:
Evaluate conflicting narratives about the causes and the regional and global impact of the Industrial Revolution.
MN State Standards for Social Studies, Benchmark 9.4.18.5
Participants in the session discuss
- Defining early industrialization
- Considering the “dominant” narrative
- Closely reading possibly “non-dominant” narratives
Participants in the session process with
- Quick writing
- Written Discussion
Organizing Slides
Readings
Priya Satia, Empire of Guns: The Violent Making of the Industrial Revolution, 2018.
Kenneth Pomeranz, The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy, 2021 (first edition, 2000)
Additional Resources
- The Guardian, Wed 5 July, 2023, “Industrial Revolution iron method ‘was taken from Jamaica by Briton’”
- Origins of Industrialism from the OER Project
