von Heyking, A.J. Creating Citizens: History and Identity in
Alberta’s Schools, 1905-1980. Calgary: University of Calgary
Press, 2006. How does one learn to be a good citizen? A good
Canadian? Creating Citizens looks at the role schools have
played in creating and sustaining a sense of Canadian identify
for generations of Alberta students. History and social studies
classes, more than others, are designed to prepare young
students for meaningful citizenship and address issues of
identity by interpreting the country’s and the region’s past. By
examining history and social studies curricula and textbooks
used in Alberta schools from 1905 to 1980, author Amy von
Heyking shows how these materials helped shape the ways in which
Albertans have identified themselves and their place in the
world around them. The complex processes of curriculum
development is also explored; by clarifying how the framework of
decision-making regarding school content was created, von
Heyking provides valuable insights into current debat