Abstract:

The aim of the present research is to consider one of the aspects of intercultural education by using the model of commemoration as an example. The stated topic touches upon aspects of both non-formal and formal education. The research basis is one of the regions of Latvia – Latgale, which is an example of a multicultural environment. The research object is the commemoration of the Holocaust in Latgale region. The choice of the object has been determined by the specifics of general education programmes, which, on the one hand, include the study of the Holocaust, but on the other hand, minimize the content of study programmes within the framework of the new educational standard. The latter has actualized the role of extracurricular activities and non-formal education in the study of this theme.

The methodological basis of the research has been formed according to the principle of an interdisciplinary strategy with the integration of the structural-semiotic approach, content analysis, and the methods of sociological survey. As to the theoretical basis, the study relies on the works of M. Halbwaks and P. Bourdieu.

The main aspects of the analysis are related to the following thematic blocks:
- memory of one’s own/others’;
- knowledge about places of memory and memorable dates;
- visiting and perception of memorial sites.

The article will highlight the methodological approaches to the study of the stated theme and the peculiarities of its perception by school learners. The analysis of the places of commemoration of the Holocaust in the territory of Latgale is carried out with a detailed analysis of the architectonics and the social aspect of memorial sites and memorials (history of development, design, text, and context). The sociological survey of school learners has been carried out in order to identify the degree of awareness, knowledge, as well as the frequency of visits to places of commemoration, and the survey of teachers with the aim to find out the degree of motivation when using the model of commemoration in the process of education.

Keywords:

Commemoration, intercultural, memory, Holocaust, school.