The use and abuse of Australian history
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Bibliographic Information
The use and abuse of Australian history
Allen & Unwin, 2000
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Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
In the age of Mabo and the Republic, history is often in the headlines. The past is always with us, not only in debates about land rights and Aboriginal reconciliation, but in national celebrations and demands for national heroes, and in more private and local concerns with family history, historic buildings, school history and living history museums. Even the forecasts of management experts and the arguments of gun rights activists appeal to the past. The past can inspire, console and condemn, sometimes all at once. How do Australians use, and sometimes misuse, the past? What are the private and public purposes it serves, and what dangers attend its abuse? Graeme Davison has observed these debates at close quarters, as a historian and commentator on national celebrations, heritage, museums and other forms of public history. The Use and Abuse of Australian History is a wide-ranging and perceptive analysis of the many ways in which the past enters everyday life in Australia, and a powerful plea for the critical and imaginative study of history.
Table of Contents
Preface1 Introduction: Australian history on the eve of the millennium2 The last hero? History and hero-worship3 Monumental history: Do statues (still) speak?4 The Great Voyage: National celebrations in three new lands5 Ancestors: The broken lineage of family history6 Heritage: From patrimony to pastiche7 Antiques, shrines and documents: What makes a building historic?8 Sacred sites: The battle for historic churches9 Living history: Touring the Australian past10 'A neglected history': Has school history lost the plot?11 Community: The uses of local history.12 Turbulent times: The historical vision of modern management13 'A vote, a rifle, a farm': Unnatural rights and invented histories14 Conclusion: Is history useful?NotesIndex
by "Nielsen BookData"