Choosing how we Represent the Past

The past comes to us through what it leaves behind, whether this be objects (buildings, statues, and the like) or testimony (films, books and the like). The dominant culture of the past was in many ways morally problematic. Because the dominant culture exercises such an influence on what has been created and survived, much of what comes through to us is likewise problematic. This talk will explore some of the complexities arising from the fact that when we engage with what comes through to us, our engagement is filtered through some perspective or other. The National Trust has to choose how to frame our experience of the houses in their care. Authors have to choose what information to present and how to present it. The choice of perspective can change, for better or for worse, the influence of the dominant culture on our view of the past.