Histories
Introduction

​Histories play a fundamental role in human thought as it requires individuals to think about the portrayal of the past in new and challenging ways. Appropriate commentary on past events is more rigorous and challenging than simply ‘knowing what happened’. Art educators must reflect and interrogate historical sources (documents, images and artefacts) and ask difficult questions if they are to be credible in the profession. Practitioners must question the validity of evidence, challenge existing knowledge and evaluate the arguments of others. The items in this section raise the possibility of “learning from the past” and it suggests the possibility of a better understanding of the present, by understanding the forces, choices, and circumstances that brought us to our current situation. These reflections are, in a sense, heterogeneous, as they comprise dissimilar elements regarding analyses and the arguments concerning concepts, skills, terminology and approaches to thinking about art in an educational context.
The sampled papers reveal aspects of ‘action research’, controlled intervention, representation and an explanation of the values of the respective authors.

Histories Index

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