By B. L. Molyneaux, "The Presented Past: Heritage, Museums and Education (One World Archaeology)"
By B. L. Molyneaux, «The Presented Past: Heritage, Museums and Education (One World Archaeology)»
Routledge | ISBN: 0415096022 | 1994-11-04 | PDF | 552 pages | 16,0 Mb
The Presented Past examines the differences between the comparatively static way schools, museums and historic organizations present the past and the way contemporary archaeologists approach it. The book challenges the representation of the past as something finished, understood and objective, rather than something that is "constructed" and therefore open to co-existing interpretations and constant reinterpretation.
Central to the book is the belief that the presentation of the past in schools and museums will benefit from a greater understanding of how the past is interpreted by archaeologists and indigenous peoples. Because schools concern themselves predominantly with the written record, they exclude much of prehistory as well as interpretations arising from the study of indigenous (and usually oral) views of the past. The book suggests that a view of the past incorporating a larger body of evidence and a wider variety of understanding will help to identify the relevance of the past for contemporary society.