EMPTY GALLERY CAFE
True History Matters
July 8th 2020
THE QUESTION
How can we ensure that our history is truthful, representative
and addresses the great wrongs that have been committed?
and addresses the great wrongs that have been committed?
TRUE HISTORY
We noted that History as a narrative changes that what might be deemed right today will be wrong tomorrow. Should there be a modicum of forgiveness around views of the past measured against the morality of today? History should be a blending of cultures because it belongs to everybody. "In Zimbabwe our history was passed on orally through stories. Stories of course get embellished>" We do not speak of that of which we are ashamed. Our history is told and received according to our viewpoint . What we believe to be the true history is ours alone; "our own truth" Women's and Black histories are scant because they are written in general by white men.
Recommended Reading:
David Lammy Tribes. How we live in and understand the world as members of tribes. Belonging to a tribe has it's positives but also immense dangers..
NOTES Breakout Rooms
First Session
White privilege we are not aware of what’s going on. People won’t accept issues as is evident in stating “all lives matter”. Someone had experienced racism when she was in China (she is a white woman) she was spat on in street. The Edward Coulston statue being toppled raised a moral and ethical debate. We’ve learnt so much about black history. Different truths for different people. What is truth? Different perspectives. There’s so much to unlearn. Previously powerful white men wrote history now anyone can record history on their i phone . Democratising history. At the same time there’s “fake news”. Fake graphs, inaccurate algorithms. The media has political bias too. Feel I have to be actively anti-racist. Socialisation has such an impact even on very young children re gender and race stereotypes. Education/ rewrite history syllabus, who would write it? Parents might protest. Germany has faced up to the atrocities the Nazis committed. Inherited trauma.
Second Session
National narrative. Collective identity. Demise of official historical voice. So many alternative sources. Stories change. Convenient truths. Art contextualising statues. Tell collective story, community plays. National/local stories, local consciousness is easier. Archives have more accurate history, can dig deeper than populist narratives. Victorian history suits the Tory narrative. The same history curriculum is taught nationally. Don’t get taught how to question. Scotland teach history from a nationalist perspective. *
*It was pointed out in another breakout room the actually the teaching of history is better taught now than it used to be, with students being taught to evaluate sources which often present different views of historical events. Question historical narrative is the only way to get closer to the truth. Whether it's ever possible to have the complete facts about any past event is of course doubtful but we do have a responsibility to look beyond a single source and be more diligent in getting as close to the truth as possible.
We noted that History as a narrative changes that what might be deemed right today will be wrong tomorrow. Should there be a modicum of forgiveness around views of the past measured against the morality of today? History should be a blending of cultures because it belongs to everybody. "In Zimbabwe our history was passed on orally through stories. Stories of course get embellished>" We do not speak of that of which we are ashamed. Our history is told and received according to our viewpoint . What we believe to be the true history is ours alone; "our own truth" Women's and Black histories are scant because they are written in general by white men.
Recommended Reading:
David Lammy Tribes. How we live in and understand the world as members of tribes. Belonging to a tribe has it's positives but also immense dangers..
NOTES Breakout Rooms
First Session
White privilege we are not aware of what’s going on. People won’t accept issues as is evident in stating “all lives matter”. Someone had experienced racism when she was in China (she is a white woman) she was spat on in street. The Edward Coulston statue being toppled raised a moral and ethical debate. We’ve learnt so much about black history. Different truths for different people. What is truth? Different perspectives. There’s so much to unlearn. Previously powerful white men wrote history now anyone can record history on their i phone . Democratising history. At the same time there’s “fake news”. Fake graphs, inaccurate algorithms. The media has political bias too. Feel I have to be actively anti-racist. Socialisation has such an impact even on very young children re gender and race stereotypes. Education/ rewrite history syllabus, who would write it? Parents might protest. Germany has faced up to the atrocities the Nazis committed. Inherited trauma.
Second Session
National narrative. Collective identity. Demise of official historical voice. So many alternative sources. Stories change. Convenient truths. Art contextualising statues. Tell collective story, community plays. National/local stories, local consciousness is easier. Archives have more accurate history, can dig deeper than populist narratives. Victorian history suits the Tory narrative. The same history curriculum is taught nationally. Don’t get taught how to question. Scotland teach history from a nationalist perspective. *
*It was pointed out in another breakout room the actually the teaching of history is better taught now than it used to be, with students being taught to evaluate sources which often present different views of historical events. Question historical narrative is the only way to get closer to the truth. Whether it's ever possible to have the complete facts about any past event is of course doubtful but we do have a responsibility to look beyond a single source and be more diligent in getting as close to the truth as possible.
illustrations and Notes
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