Heng, Geraldine. "Teaching early global literatures." Throughlines. www.throughlines.org/suite-content/teaching-early-global-literatures. [Date accessed].

History is understood through narrative. The stories that are written, repeated, and taught give shape to the past. By decentering European narratives in our teaching, we can expand the scope of historical understanding that our students carry with them into the world. Studying early global literatures shakes the preconceived notions about the past that students bring into the classroom, especially when they are introduced to early global civilizations that were far more complex and modern than Europe.
Further learning
Recommended

Teaching The Wife of Bath's Tale through adaptations
Chaucer's most outspoken pilgrim gets three modern makeovers: an animated film, a spoken-word performance, and a poem staged in a London market. Jonathan Hsy shows how these adaptations open fresh classroom conversations about gender, power, and justice.




