For what reasons and under what conditions does a school textbook become the subject of public controversy? And why does every such controversy result in the withdrawal of the controversial textbook?

Starting from the ideological and political debate over the History book of the 6th Grade (2006-2008), this study examines four symbolic wars over as many "heretical" textbooks. The narrative unfolds in reverse, from the present to the past, capturing the course followed by historical research. Each controversy is a step, each step is a chapter, until we return from the Greece of globalization to the early 20th century in Greece of militant nationalism. In all cases, the central issue was the nation-building role of our school History - the content, ultimately, of our national identity. In all cases, the "heretical" (and ultimately withdrawn) books deviated significantly from the historical norm as it had been shaped and established in the late 19th century. They stood out and provoked because they were something more or something different from a heroic and mournful song for the primordial, fraternal Greek nation.

The study concludes with a contrast: the most popular and long-lived reading of the 19th century is analyzed as a historical narrative that significantly deviates from the norm, precisely because it was written and taught before it fully prevailed. Thus, it is demonstrated that our school History also has its own history.