Uncomfortable histories: learning with contested and confronting history in Australian museums

Abstract

Today’s museums are charged with responsibilities far exceeding the straightforward display of interesting or unique objects; increasingly, they are expected to represent a wide range of stories, often focusing on bringing to light histories that – for various reasons – have previously been hidden or neglected. In Australia, the stories museums have told have been passionately debated for several decades, with considerable consternation meeting exhibitions deemed to over-emphasise the violence of colonisation or to present triumphalist narratives of Australian involvement in overseas wars. These are similar to debates that rage within academic history and school history education in this cou..