Eleventh International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Revisionist history is about reinterpreting the past based on contemporary insights/perspectives. The real problem is if we had only known then what we know now, history might look very different and so might the times we live in. In Darwinian theory, social evolution should have made us a smarter, faster, better, and the quality of life should reflect these virtues. But sadly, this is not necessarily true. Museums, sites, and monuments face the risk of being compromised given this trend of repatriation and eradication. Destroying history is an ignorant attempt to correct the past by means of elimination in order to forget it and there is great danger in doing so. Once individuals rip out, tear down or blow up a building, a historical site or monument they are actually calling more attention to it as opposed to discussing and reconciling issues. Can the past be wiped clean or rewritten? Once history is forgotten it is doomed to reoccur. George Santayana once said, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We need to attempt the larger feat, which is to come to terms with the past and admit to our mistakes and learn from them.