Returning Materiality
In recent years the engagement with materiality has gained increasing attention in history education in German speaking countries, surpassing the level of interest observed several decades ago. Notably, this development extends beyond the mere integration of material sources to history education in schools or museums (Must/Buchsteiner 2021). It also includes previously overlooked forms of historical representation and appropriation through objects as part of historical culture (Barsch/van Norden 2020; Mathis/Barsch 2022; Kühberger 2024a). In this context, ‘Geschichtsdinge’ (“materialized history”; literally “history things”) have come into sharper focus. These are understood as “various manifestations of historical culture that are inscribed either with a reference to the past or an interpretation of the past” (Kühberger 2023, 64). Examples include plastic Viking figurines, board games about the Ottoman Empire, toy sabers, or children’s books about Baroque princesses. In recent years, research in history education on the integration of such ‘Geschichtsdinge’ into the everyday lives of children and adolescents has prompted not only the exploration of various categories of toys (Kühberger 2021a; Erhard 2021), but also ethnographic studies on their availability and use in children’s play spaces (Kühberger 2021b; Kühberger 2024b; Kühberger 2025).