I will fill in here some of the material that we have been looking at in class in preparation for this next unit. We are looking in particular at uses of history and different interpretations of history. We also want to find ways to connect the past to today and to use these connections to think about the future.
Week 12 we looked at this film from Forum för Levande Historia. It's a very good introduction to many of the ideas we're addressing. (Because I am over 40, and this is not a YouTube video, I am not able to figure out how to imbed the video here. Sorry. Here's a picture of the video!)
Regarding the issue of perspectives and the right to vote that is brought up in the video, I noted that with our study of Swedish history, we have approached this issue in one way. We have looked at processes that led to the development of democratic institutions in a long-term perspective, considering political changes, and social/religious changes, and even some economic issues that can help us understand the domination of the upper classes in Swedish history. Thus, once all citizens were able to participate in the political process, that would most likely reduce the political and thus economic power of the upper classes.
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Uses of History:
The film talked about different uses of history (explain, confirm, change, commercial). This explanation is helpful for the purpose of understanding that history can be used in different ways. At the same time, I noted that there is no agreement among historians regarding the how to categorize uses of history. I will not limit myself to these categories.
We considered different commercial uses of history. You noted the Middle Ages fair held every year in Visby (Medeltidsdagar). In the U.S. there are "Renaissance Fairs" that are often a simpler version of Medeltidsdagar, I suppose. (Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory got upset about historical anomolies found at such fairs, in part because many of the activities tend to be more of the Middle Ages than the Renaissance.) Since none of the European traditions of the Middle Ages or the Renaissance are relevant to the history of the United States, I suppose you can blame the inaccuracies on that. National holidays that are used for tourism (think 4th of July in the U.S., Bastille Day in France) could also fall in this category of history at the service of commercialism.
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As a way of thinking about history history being used in different ways, we considered the career of Winston Churchill. On the one hand, he is presented as a hero, a man of incredible confidence, fortitude, resourcefulness, courage, etc. This interpretation of the man is found in films such as "The Darkest Hour," released last year and nominated for Best Film, and Gary Oldman, who played Churchill in the film, won an Oscar for his performance.
There is also the popular Netflix series "The Crown," in which Churchill plays a prominent role. He is shown to be a more complex person in this series, but the overall message is in many ways compatible with "The Darkest Hour."
In contrast with this interpretation of Churchill, I presented part of an interview from the March 16 episode of the podcast "On the Media," entitled "The Past is Never Dead." Here, host Bob Garfield spoke with Indian-American writer Madhusree Mukerjee, who has written the book Churchill's Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India during World War II. The segment starts at 35:15 and ends at . In this interview, a very different interpretation of the consequences of Churchill's decisions as prime minister and earlier administrative and military posts he held. In particular, his role in the 1943 Bengal Famine is addressed.
I later listened to another podcast (Malcolm Gladwell's "Revisionist History"), where Gladwell also interviewed Mukerjee. Here the focus was even more focused, looking at Churchill's relationship wiht the physicist Frederick Lindeman. As noted before, Mukerjee lays the blame of the famine on Churchill, but she says that the cause is directly related to the advice that Churchill got from Lindeman.
The point is that there are different interpretations of the life of Churchill. And we can also see these interpretations being used for different purposes. For example: If we are interested in viewing the political and military choices of the United Kingdom in a favorable light -- perhaps as part of a campaign to amass support for current policies and plans -- then presenting past decisions as bold, righteous, and contributing to the greater good makes sense. And for those purposes, presenting Churchill as racist and even murderous is less of a solid strategy.
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Also as a part of thinking about the uses of history, I showed you a painting (from the 18th c.) that depicted the Chinese emperor Shi Huangdi burning books and throwing scholars in a pit (to kill them) to control narratives about the past. That is, he wanted he version of history to live on and no other. And in many ways he was successful.
Along the same lines, I showed you photos that included Trotsky close to Lenin during the Russian Revolution. And then Stalin later removed Trotsky from these photos, again as a way to try to control a history that would disfavor Trotsky and favor Stalin.
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Friday w. 12 we did a little game to help consider issues such as
- the importance of historical places, traditions, relationships
- how common resources -- or the profits from them -- should be shared among various interested parties
- the role of values, history, tradition, and laws in settling disputes.
It is worth reflecting on these issues, as they will be relevant to topics that we will discuss later on
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On Tuesday week 12 we continued thinking about different perspectives, interpretations, and uses of history.
We considered narratives about the founding of Australia. You were asked what are the dominant narratives. For the most part, you discussed colonizaiton, the history of the penal colonies and the various prisoners. I noted that we could see some of the main narratives as follows:
-
A history of British penal practices
o
fate of prisoners
-
the heroism of individuals
o
taming the land, surviving, discovering
-
A history of the Aborigines
o
the loss of their land
o
the subverting of their traditions
o
the discrimination they have faced
But this last narrative is rarely the one told -- say, in movies, books, national events . . . This is true in part because Europeans were so fully in control of the narrative presented in the West for more than 200 years. Trying to change a narrative that is so often repeated in history books, political documents, and sources of entertainment as well reinforced in traditions, practices, and folklore can be very, very difficult.
As a way to think further about this issue, I played part of the Jan. 24 episode of the podcast "The Foreigner Desk," written and presented by Andrew Mueller. It is only six minutes long, and I played about half of the episode. Here is a link to the episode, and here is a transcript of the part I played:
the foreign desk – Andrew
Mueller
On January 26th, Australians will celebrate
Australia Day. This, at least, is the theory.
The reality is that on Jan. 26th, and in the days before and
subsequent, large numbers of Australians will be arguing whether they should be
celebrating at all.
At issue is not the idea of Australia Day itself. Few if any
Australians. believe that Australia should not partake of the generally
observed ritual whereby a given country gives itself a day off to reflect upon
its inherent marvelousness. At issue is the date.
On Jan. 26th, 1788 eleven ships sailed into the
capacious port now known as Sidney Harbor. The First Fleet, as it became known,
consisted of two royal navy escorts, three supply vessels, and six shipfuls of
convicted criminals consigned to a remote and barely explored wilderness to
either build a new colony for Britain or perish in the attempt.
As we now know, from this wholly unlikely genesis a
prosperous, orderly and in most respects admirable nation was founded, but as has
been insufficiently acknowledged, there were people who had beaten the First Fleet
to Australia by a margin of several hundred centuries. They and their descendants
have reason for regarding Australia Day other than gratefully. It is possible to
think of Jan. 26th, 1788 as the inauguration of another great
Australian tradition – that of fretting that the indigenous way of life is
existentially threatened by boatloads of foreigners turning up without due
process.
But the modern row over Australia Day dates back to Jan. 26th,
1988. This, as the mathematically capable will have calculated, was the
bicentennial of Britain’s invasion of the Australian continent and the country
was accordingly excited or braced, depending on inclination, for an orgy of
self-congratulation for which my people possess consider considerable facility
even to the extent of congratulating ourselves for possessing it.
But 1988 didn’t quite work out like that:
We stole this land
from Aboriginal people, and instead of a sense of respect and understanding
that we want to choose a day brings the nation together
Instead, a variety of factors conspired to prompt an
interesting and frankly overdue consideration of the less-glorious aspects of
our history. The year before, one of Australia’s biggest rock groups Midnight
Oil released the best-selling Diesel and Dust an extraordinary record exploring
the dispossession of Australia’s indigenous people, ensuring that the
soundtrack of the bicentennial year was a reminder that the country was founded
on pillage and genocide.
More importantly, aboriginal groups realized that there
would never be a better time to make their point and did so eloquently and effectively.
I also played part of the song mentioned: Beds are Burning. Here are the lyrics:
Beds Are Burning
Out where the river broke
The bloodwood and the desert oak
Holden wrecks and boiling diesels
Steam in forty five degrees
The bloodwood and the desert oak
Holden wrecks and boiling diesels
Steam in forty five degrees
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent, now
To pay our share
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent, now
To pay our share
Four wheels scare the cockatoos
From Kintore East to Yuendemu
The western desert lives and breathes
In forty five degrees
From Kintore East to Yuendemu
The western desert lives and breathes
In forty five degrees
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent, now
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
We're gonna give it back
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent, now
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
We're gonna give it back
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
Songwriters: James Moginie / Martin Rotsey / Peter Garrett / Peter Gifford / Robert Hirst
Beds Are Burning lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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The last thing we did was talk briefly about how history can be relevant to solving current problems. I noted that depending on the history employed (that is, depending on the material used and the questions asked), we can get different answers to our questions about the past. If our interest in understanding the past is to make a change now and in the future, then which history (or histories) we use to understand the situation can be the difference between being able to bring about real change or not.
This was example:
Question: Why are white Americans wealthier as a group than African Americans and Native Americans?
Goal: Decrease this imbalance
Possible historical causes that could be relevant:
- slavery
- the dispossession of land
- the laws of Reconstruction passed after the Civil War
- unequal educational practices
- unfair voting laws
- gerrymandering voting districts (making it easy for one politial party to win votes in certain areas)
Which explanation(s) helps us best understand today so that we can make changes to alter the imbalance? Relying on one history more than another can be seen as a use of history.
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