Teaching history for the contemporary world : tensions, challenges and classroom experiences in higher education

255 Pages·2021·2.809 MB·English

by  Adele Nye, Jennifer Clark (eds)

Adele Nye
Jennifer Clark   Editors
Teaching History
for the Contemporary
World
Tensions, Challenges and Classroom
Experiences in Higher Education
Teaching History for the Contemporary World
·
Adele Nye Jennifer Clark
Editors
Teaching History
for the Contemporary World
Tensions, Challenges and Classroom
Experiences in Higher Education
Editors
AdeleNye JenniferClark
UniversityofNewEngland TheUniversityofAdelaide
Armidale,NSW,Australia Adelaide,SA,Australia
ISBN978-981-16-0246-7 ISBN978-981-16-0247-4 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0247-4
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IntheseyearsoftheCOVID-19pandemic,we
dedicatethisbooktoourcolleaguesinthe
historyprofessionwhohaverapidlyshifted
theirteachingpracticestotakeaccountof
dramatically changedcircumstancesand
havedonesowithimagination, commitment
andgoodhumour.Whenwebeganthisbook
weneverimaginedteachinghistoryinthe
contemporaryagecouldtakesuchaturn.
Fortwostudentslockeddownontwo
continents,AndrewandHannah.
Forthreechildrenstartingtheireducationin
adifferentworld,Bryce,RileyandSpencer.
Foreword
Historyisvitaltounderstandingthecontemporaryworld.Recentcrisesandtraumatic
eventshaveamplifiedthecrucialimportanceofcomprehendingthepastandhowit
hasinformedthepresentandwillshedlightonthefuture.Morethanever,teaching
historyisneededtounderstandthecomplex,shifting,andever-changingglobalworld
nowandinthedecadestocome.Anethicalfutureisbasedonhistoricalexpertiseand
knowledgeanddemandsanhistoricalunderstandingofourcontemporaryworld.
Teaching history in context takes us to the very purpose and intent of Teaching
HistoryfortheContemporaryWorld—Tensions,ChallengesandClassroomExperi-
encesinHigherEducation.Inthistimely,indispensableandinspiringbook,Adele
NyeandJenniferClarkhaveprovidedanoutstandingandexceptionallyilluminating
intellectual framework from which to provoke, stimulate and energise debate and
discussionaboutthepurposeofteachinghistoryintheworldtoday.Theyposethe
challengingquestionof‘whathistorianscando’toshapethefuturedirectionsofour
world.Thedebateabouttheroleofeducatorsinactivism,challenginginequalities
andpositingoptionstowardssocialjusticeinthefutureraisesthefundamentalques-
tionoftheverypurposeofhistoricalpedagogy.Eachofthecontributorsilluminate
withgreatclarity,fluencyanderuditionthecentralquestionswhichinformethical
historyteaching:promotingunderstandingsofcompassion,challengingorthodoxies,
exploringthehumane,andcreatingaresponsiblecitizenship.
The events of 2020 have inescapably thrown these questions into sharp relief.
I identify three events and debates to amplify the fundamental importance of the
challenges Nye and Clark identify and the themes of teaching history and social
changewhichtheessaysinthiscompellingcollectioneachaddress.
First, by February 2020, Australia had experienced an unprecedented bushfire
season.Thefiresburntanestimated18millionhectares,destroyedover5,000build-
ingsandkilled34people.Thedevastationofthefiresonwildlifehasbeenextraor-
dinarywithoverabillionmammals,birdsandreptileskilledandoverathirdofall
koalas in New South Wales believed to have perished. Debates about the cause of
theintensityandscaleofthefiresinvolveddiscussionsaboutclimatechangeandthe
future of the planet, fire management practices, Indigenous knowledge about land
useandthefossilfuelindustry.Inresponse,theFederalgovernmentestablishedthe
vii
viii Foreword
Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements or the Bushfires
RoyalCommission.
HistorianshavewithinAustraliaandinternationallyplayedacentralroleiniden-
tifying and charting the history of climate change and global warming across the
planet.Thedeephistory,experienceandknowledgeofFirstNationspeople,Indige-
noushistoriansandknowledgecustodiansisfundamentaltoAustralia’smanagement
oftheenvironmentandpreservationofthenaturallandscape.Anotherhistory—that
ofclimatechangepolicy—isfurtherneededtounderstandthehistoricresponsesby
governmentandwhathasbeeneffective,whathasnotandwhatisneeded.Teaching
this understanding is core to responsible citizenship, and essential for Australia to
beamajorleaderofpoliciesthateffectivelytransformclimatechange.
Second,theBlackLivesMattermovementrapidlyswepttheglobefollowingthe
death of black man George Floyd in May 2020. His death at the hands of police
brutality, ignited calls for more Indigenous history to be taught in schools. Within
Australia,Indigenousleaders,scholarsandintellectualscalledforagreaterexposure
ofracisminstudiesofAustralia’spastandpresent.Thecallforconstitutionalreform
wasalsoreignited.Socialjusticeandself-determinationforAboriginalandTorres
Strait Islander communities will remain unresolved until the demands for a voice
intheConstitutionaremetthroughtheUluruStatementfromtheHeart.TheUluru
StatementaimstoachieveconstitutionalreformtoempowerFirstNationsPeopleand
totaketheirrightfulplaceintheirowncountry.Ithasyettomaterialiseanditsvision
hastodatebeenunrealised.Therecommendationofatruthandjusticecommission
hasbeenseenasawayforIndigenousandnon-Indigenouscommunitiestoconfront
theviolenthistoryandgiveavoicetoIndigenousAustraliansofthatpast.Itisalsoa
wayofprovidingapowerfulhumanfacetotheexperienceofIndigenousAustralians.
TheBlackLivesMatterprotestinAustraliaraisedagainthequestionofIndigenous
deathsincustodyinAustralia,andtheneedtoconfrontinstitutionalracism.History
remindedusthattherehavebeen439deathsincustodyinAustraliasincethe1991
RoyalCommission,butwithnoconvictions.
Intandemwiththe‘BlackLivesMatter’movementhascometherelatedprotest
advocatingtheremovalofmonumentsofpastslaveownersaroundtheworld.This
included the statue of slave trader Edward Colston thrown into the River Avon in
Bristol,aswellasthestatueofslaveownerRobertMilliganinLondonbeingremoved.
Thismovementcontinuesastherearecallsforotherstatues—mostnotablythatof
theslaveownerCecilRhodes—toberemovedatOxford.Rhodesinspiredaseparate
movement in 2015—the Rhodes Must Fall movement—which led to the removal
of the statue of Rhodes at the University of Cape Town. The sentiments of these
movementswerealsotransposedtoAustraliawiththemonumentofCaptainJames
CookdefacedinSydney’sHydePark.Thehistoryteachingofempires,conquests,
colonialism and racial violence across the world has been under the microscope
withtheserecenteventsandtherehavebeencallstowidenthehistorycurriculum
withinschools.Asophisticatedandcomplexunderstandingofthishistoryisrequired
to move forward to create better futures. The teaching of history is at the core of
understandinghowracialinjusticesemergedinasettler-colonialsociety,howthey
have continued to prevail, and that knowledge of the past is essential to create a
Foreword ix
futurewheresuchinjusticesaretoleratednolonger.Anignoranceandlackofaware-
ness of this history will continue to perpetuate distortions, misunderstandings and
misapprehensionofthequestionofracialsocialjustice.
Third,beyondtheacademyandtheuniversities,historyasadiscipline,likeother
humanitiessubjectsprovidesthecoreskillsofpreparednessforfutureemployment.
ButthisrecognitionhasbeenlostintheAustraliangovernment’srecent‘Jobready
graduate’slegislation’,whichproposesintroducingasignificantpricedifferentialin
the fees between university science and humanities subjects, resulting in the cost
ofundertakingsubjectsundersocietyandcultureincreasingby113%.Underlying
thesereformsarequestionssuchaswhichdisciplinescountasbeinginthenational
interest,andwhicharesignificanttoshapingAustralia’ssocialandeconomicfuture
andwhichgraduatesareindeed‘jobready’.
Bymakingitconsiderablycheapertotakesciencesubjectsandsoencouraging
studentstodoso,itisclearthatthehumanitiesskillsetofanalysis,criticalthinking,
creativity, complex problem-solving and emotional intelligence are not deemed
valuable, vital or essential to a workforce. Further, graduate outcome data clearly
shows that humanities graduates have equalled or outperformed STEM graduates
infull-timeemploymentandlabourforceparticipationinthepast3years,andthat
humanitiesgraduatescontributesignificantlytotheAustralianeconomyinarange
of industries. More significantly—and this gets to the question of the future—and
post COVID-19—with automation and Artificial Intelligence upon us, it will be
humanities-trainedgraduatesthatwillbringcapacitiesandcapabilitiesthatcannot
beautomatedsuchascriticalthinking,analyticalunderstanding,communicationand
problem-solving.ItwillalsomakeitmoredifficultforstudentsfromlowSESback-
grounds,includingintheregions,toaspiretoandsucceedatuniversityinsubjectsof
social,economic,culturalandcommunityvaluesuchashistory,butalsoincultural
heritage,tourism,andarchaeology.Wecanpointtothegenderinequitiesbecauseit
remainsthecasethatSTEMisamale-dominatedfieldandthehumanitiesandhistory
arefemaledominated,soaheaviercostwillbecarriedbywomenundertakingthe
humanitiessubjectssuchashistory.Thehumanitiesalsoproducespecificcapabili-
tiesvitaltoAustralia’sfuture,includingknowledgetosmartlypositionAustraliain
rapidlyshiftingglobalorder;toadviseonmattersthatareuniquetotheAustralian
community,includingourhistoryandculture;andunderstandinghowpeoplehave
experiencedandrespondedtomajorsocialorenvironmentalchangeovertime.The
humanitiesandhistorysupporttheculturalandcreativeindustries,oneofthefastest
growingsectorsoftheeconomy.Suchreformscuttotheheartoftheneedforabroadly
educatedandknowledgeablecitizenshipwhichahistoryeducationprovides.1
TeachingHistoryfortheContemporaryWorld—Tensions,ChallengesandClass-
room Experiences in Higher Education focuses our attention on the urgent ques-
tions of our time regarding teaching history as we negotiate a new and constantly
changingworld.Aswemovethroughthisuncertaincentury,educatingourstudents
inabroadandwideknowledgeofhistorywillbevitaltounderstandAustralia’splace
1Australian Academy of the Humanities, Policy Submission to Senate Inquiry into the Higher
EducationSupportAmendmentBill,September2020.
x Foreword
inthisworld.ItwillalsoremainessentialtocomprehendthespecificsofAustralia’s
historyandculture—ofAustralia’sFirstNationsPeoples—andtoprovideahuman-
centredresponsetothemajorsocial,culturalandenvironmentalissuesofourtime.
Thiseducationisessentialaswefacetheunfoldingofachallengingcentury,where
understandingandteachinghistorywillprovidethenecessaryskillsetofproblem-
solving,analysisandinterrogatingfuturequestions,aswellasremainingthebedrock
ofresponsiblecitizenship.
Melbourne,Australia JoyDamousi
Acknowledgements
WeacknowledgethatweworkonthetraditionallandsoftheKaurnapeopleofthe
Adelaide Plains and the Anaiwan people of the New England Tablelands. We pay
ourrespectstoelderspast,presentandemergingandacknowledgetheimportance
ofIndigenoushistoriesinourcontemporaryworld.
When we began to think about compiling this book we had no idea how 2020
wouldplayout.WedidnotknowthatAustraliawouldberavagedbybushfiresthat
stolelivesanddestroyedlivelihoods,decimatedlandscapesandtookuniqueanimals
to the brink of extinction. After that came floods. Then the rumblings of disquiet
about disease turned into a full-blown pandemic. As we finish writing and editing
thisbooktheglobalpandemicisgettingworse,notbetter.Thenumberofinfections
internationallycontinuestogrow,thedeathtollrisesinanunrelentingfashion,and
eventhoughweinAustraliahavefaredcomparativelywell,thecasesofCOVID-19
continue to appear with a disappointing regularity. While the pandemic raged the
#BlackLivesMattermovementtookoverthenewsbulletins,asprotestsreverberated
around the world demanding justice for people of colour everywhere and an end
to police brutality and racial prejudice. This is our contemporary world: dynamic,
revolutionary,frightening,uncertain,dramaticanddisturbing.Whenwebeganthis
projectwecouldnothaveimaginedhowappositeitwouldbe.Contemporarymeans
now,andour‘now’keepschangingsorapidlythatwescrambletokeepup.
ThebooktookshapeonaresearchtriptoEurope,firstofalltoattendaconference
inBergen,Norway,andthentointerviewhistoriansinEngland.Wewanttothank
all those people we spoke with who helped us realise the importance of adapting
history teaching to the demands of the contemporary age. In particular, we very
muchvaluedtalkingwithPeterD’SenaandGrantBage.Overagreatdinneratthe
‘BryggenTracteursted’inBergen,wetossedaroundideasandbegantothinkabout
whatwewerefacingashistoriansinour‘now’.Forhelpingustorefinethoseideas
duringresearchinterviewswethankAnnaMcGuire,OnniGust,PippaCaterall,Lars
Laaman, Angus Lockyer, and JustinDavis-Smith. InNottingham, we met up with
Alan and Jeanne Booth and Marcus Collins to take the conversations further. All
of these people, and others, have helped explain to us what issues are important
to them and how, as teachers of history, we should be agile, attuned and aware.
We want to thank all of the contributors to the book who embraced the idea of
xi