Rewriting national and transnational histories and reassigning labels of heroes, victims, and perpetrators is a powerful tool in the narrative construction and manifestation of political orders. This is as true of the EU as it is of any state order. The way history is narrated at a certain point in time reveals much about the political, social, and economic priorities, challenges, and needs of the respective present.

Rethinking the questions we ask about European integration history can help us develop a deeper understanding of the challenges Europe faces today—and illuminate possible responses. Seventy-five years after the Schuman Declaration, it is therefore worthwhile to examine how the history of European integration has been told by the actors involved, and how and why official narratives have evolved over time. Equally important is shedding light on previously overlooked or disregarded participants in the integration process, which can enhance our understanding of European actors' roles and capabilities in a world characterised by shifting power balances and complex crises.

As the EU is, once again, facing profound challenges both within and beyond its borders, this plenary aims to foster interdisciplinary learning between European integration history and broader European studies scholarship

Dramatic social change including shifts in domestic governance, and mass atrocity in multiple crisis zones have made the social science classroom a challenging place. Students and educators alike are navigating a world where the boundaries between the political, the personal, and the pedagogical are increasingly blurred. How do we balance the imperative to address current events with care, combining factual accuracy with ethical responsibility and emotional awareness? What place do a teacher’s emotions, values, and vulnerabilities have in a reconnected classroom? This innovative, participatory panel offers space for personal reflections, best practices, and mutual learning. Rather than offering a fixed model, this panel holds space for a direly needed discussion on innovative pedagogy in difficult times.