A Shared History? Presenting Australia's Post-Contact Indigenous Past

Abstract

The colonial origins of museums have often influenced the ways in which they depict the past. In Australia, portrayals of the Indigenous past have focussed exclusively on “traditional life” or the prehistoric period of history, to the detriment of post-contact history. This paper examines ways in which museums around Australia are beginning to counter this trend. Museum exhibits that relate to Australia's shared, post-contact past are analyzed in the context of recent developments in museology. This analysis is combined with feedback generated from interviews with heritage professionals. The results suggest that in order to move towards inclusive interpretation of Australian history, multiple voices and perspectives of the past must be incorporated into interpretive programs. This paper argues that there are a variety of ways in which heritage interpreters can attempt to incorporate pluralist perspectives of the past into museum exhibits.