Blue-water cruising on the high seas of time: What does the review of the Australian curriculum mean for senior ancient history?

Abstract

THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS to understand the subject matter of history. For example, Fernand Braudel, the great scholar of the Mediterranean, identified three planes on which historical inquiry takes place. The first of these he describes as history that scurries from one event to the next, replete with action, but bereft of significance. The second plane is that of periods: the Renaissance, the French Revolution, or the Cold War, for example. These events of sustained duration provide a focal point for research and explanation. The third plane deals with changes that occur over more than a century. Braudel describes this field of historical inquiry as "blue-water cruising on the high seas of ..