"Do we need to decolonise history? And if so, how?" Topic

"The campaign to decolonise history has gained support from Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex: during a talk to students at City, University of London, in January, the duchess expressed shock at figures showing the underrepresentation of ethnicity in professor positions in universities, and encouraged scholars to "open up the conversation" about the curriculum. But what is decolonising history all about? How do we go about doing it – and do we actually need to? Here, we explore the campaign to decolonise history and ask 10 experts for their views…."
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Amicalement
Armand

Not really.

The trick is to teach other cultures and historical perspectives while not ignoring or running down our own culture and accomplishments. History is about our conflicts with one another, and in establishing culture. Only very recently, have Western cultures had the excess wealth and effort to address the inequities that exist.

It sounds a bit like the colonization of history, too.

If its about understanding history by using different perspectives, too, thats fine. If you leave out that "too" you fail. Utterly!

Watch out where you're going with all that, sounds like it's leaning towards a little revisionist history.

If our history is unflattering, unattractive, or just uncomfortable, well then, we'll just change it!! No one will notice, we'll just take this bit out and add this, there, all better now!

Rather liked Holland's piece – one should be able to make the history of the land immigrants are living interesting rather than having to spark the student's interest by teaching them about the land of their ancestors.

And with Young's note that Zimbabwe and the Sudan are excellent examples of inflationary policies to use in economic history.

Most of the rest seemed primarily to want to give more emphasis to their own specialty.

If they want to look at the world in a "globally connected and totally new way", that's fine, but why must they try to force the rest of the world to conform to their views?

Do it! Open your mind to the possibilities, conduct your research, read your papers. Tell us what you find. But please leave everyone else the @#%$@ alone. That way, if what you come up with turns out to be a complete waste of time and effort, then the only lives you've ruined are your own.

My opinion and it's worth every penny you paid for it.

I'd like to buy Stryderg a drink. I can't of course which is why I'm offering, but I do agree 100%

Well, thanks von Schwartz, I'll set up a Go Fund Me page for you to get that done.

Yet another example of the decline of Europe in general and England in particular.

"We must force all countries down to the lowest common denominator so that they can all be equal."

Yay, Utopia! :-p

i'm so tired of those who apologize for being Western. Who died and made Meghan Markle an expert on anything? Do people in Japan complain that they are too Japanese? Do people in the Congo complain about being too African? I recently read an article about how Vermont is too white and that needs to change. The implication being that the locals need to do more to become less white. Outside of forcibly moving people to and from ‘too white' areas, how does one ‘fix' this ‘problem.' I'm not clear on why we can't simply celebrate each other's cultures without crapping on our own.

Like I said, revisionist history, if we don't like it, it didn't happen. Thank you Department of Education, or should that read Department of Indoctrination?

BTW, Stryderg, being the cheap old ba#%&*# that I am, I hope you like Kool-Aid?

" I recently read an article about how Vermont is too white and that needs to change. The implication being that the locals need to do more to become less white. Outside of forcibly moving people to and from ‘too white' areas, how does one ‘fix' this ‘problem.' "

Mandatory tanning salons in every Vermont home?

j/k!

Well Zephyr1, you just gotta stop being so white. I know you can do it. Just don't "do it" in black face. We all know how that would turn out.

Hope I don't go to the dawghouse for that.