The History Wars … and You

1. The History Wars … and You Michael Spurr History Teachers’ Association of Victoria

2. History Wars • An Introduction • The Major Players • The Debates • The Classroom and You

3. An Introduction • History as contested • Historical interpretation • Politics and History • Reflects underlying assumptions and concerns about the nature of Australian history and society

4. An Introduction • ‘History War’ as dominated discussion of particular topics in Australian History • ‘Similar’ to other history national debates • US – Culture Wars • Smithsonian Museum Debate • German Historikerstreit Historian’s Dispute

5. The Flashpoints • Frontier History • Were there wars between European settlers and indigenous communities? • Aboriginal Genocide • Does Australia have a history of genocide? • Stolen Generations • Multiculturalism/White Australia Policy

6. The Frontlines • The Frontlines • Politics • Press, Television • Journals and Periodical • Academic and non-Academic Publications • Museums • Education Policy

7. The Birth of Black Armband History • Professor Geoffrey Blainey, 1993 • “Black armband” vs “Three Cheers” • “Three Cheers” • ‘Whig History’, positive development of a liberal democracy • Black armband • A history that recognises the unpalatable

8. The Major Players Paul Keating The Monthly and QE Robert Manne Henry Reynolds Lyndall Ryan

9. John Howard The 'black armband' view of our history reflects a belief that most Australian history since 1788 has been little more than a disgraceful story of imperialism, exploitation, racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination. (John Howard - 1996 Sir Robert Menzies Lecture). Quadrant Geoffrey Blainey Keith Windschuttle Andrew Bolte The Major Players

10. Frontier Wars • Reynolds • 3,000 Europeans, 20,000 Aboriginal deaths in direct frontier violence • With Lyndall Ryan argues that a guerrilla war against Europeans in Tasmania • Windschuttle, The Fabrication of Aboriginal History • Rejects notion of guerrilla war, argues Ryan and Reynolds falsify/distort evidence, no frontier war • Rebuttals: Manne (ed) Whitewash • Plagiarism, manipulation of evidence

11. Stolen Generation • Bringing Them Home: National Enquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders from their Families • Robert Manne, In Denial: The Stolen Generation and the Right, Melbourne, 2001. • Quadrant

12. White Australia Policy • Henry Reynolds North of Capricorn, The Untold Story of Australia's North, 2003 • WAP had a negative impact on development of Northern Australia • Keith Windschuttle The White Australia Policy, 2004 • WAP not informed by racism, based on social harmony

13. National Museum • National Museum of Australia • Criticised: Windschuttle: "a repository of nothing more than the intellectual poverty of the tertiary-educated middle class of the post-Vietnam War era" that "panders to the same currently fashionable interest groups of women, ethnics and indigenes".

14. Further Reading

15. ON THE ‘HOME FRONT’ • History in the Classroom • Matter of continuing attention • National Enquiry • Australian History Summit • National Curriculum • WHY MIGHT THE CLASSROOM MATTER IN SUCH DEBATES?