ABSTRACT
Change and continuity is one of the fundamental organising concepts in history (often referred to as second-order concepts), used to shape the way in which we look at the past and thus how we understand it. It is essentially dependent on other ideas such as chronological understanding and is intimately connected with the process of developing ‘frameworks’ of the past (see Chapter 11) – the discernment of trends, patterns and turning points that give shape to the past. Yet there are a number of dimensions to the concept that make it complex to understand and therefore to teach – not least the interplay between change and continuity. The extracts in this chapter flesh out these dimensions and challenge us to clarify the ways in which we want young people to use ideas of change and continuity to think about the past.
