History at Risk: Activism and the Contested Past around the World

2020年6月7日，在布里斯托尔，爱德华·科尔斯顿的雕像被推倒，这是“黑人的命也是命”抗议活动的一部分。科尔斯顿是一位奴隶主和慈善家；几十年来，他的雕像一直是抗议的对象。雕像的倒塌引发了英国乃至全球关于公共记忆本质的争论。全国各地的城市开始重新审视公共领域的纪念活动。围绕科尔斯顿雕像、殖民主义遗产和公共记忆的辩论，展示了一个前所未有的时刻，即对英国公共场合如何以及为什么使用历史学进行审视。它们也是世界范围内一个更广泛现象的一部分。在全球范围内，民粹主义有效地利用民族主义对历史的定义来压制反对声音。在巴西、澳大利亚、波兰、匈牙利、哥伦比亚、新西兰、意大利和美国等国，过去已成为保守派右翼攻击对手的代理手段。为特定的历史叙述和阴谋论辩护的主张已经成为包括新纳粹在内的右翼团体的战斗口号。极右翼和极左翼团体、保守派媒体和民粹主义政客对社区中的历史实践者施加了难以置信的压力。这是历史上一个充满风险的时期。这也是一个机会的时刻。本网络力求对这些紧迫的全球辩论作出回应。该网络考虑了公共历史在政治气候下的新背景，有争议的历史本身也受到质疑，复杂性的合法性受到挑战。该项目将寻求在全球背景下理解这场危机，在世界各地的社区和从业者之间建立联系，并分享教学和纪念实践。该网络将与曼彻斯特市议会于2021年设立的“历史、故事和声音”项目合作，以考虑该市的公共领域纪念活动，该项目将寻求了解当前纪念实践的危机，并与当地社区一起制定切实可行的解决方案，并为教授有争议的历史创造教育资源。曼彻斯特将作为该网络的本地案例研究，使强大、可持续和协作的工作得以开展。地方、国家和国际从业者之间的思想和实践交流将使人们对移民、全球化、道德和文化交流等问题进行反思。曼彻斯特是欧洲最多样化的城市之一，有200多种语言。在这里，从彼得卢到妇女参政运动，从罗奇代尔先锋队到FC联队，这些激进的时刻都被作为城市结构的一部分被纪念。该网络将与该市的许多组织合作，但将重点放在五个合作伙伴身上，以强调研究的共同生产和创意的共同开发。

In Bristol on 7 June 2020 the statue of Edward Colston was pulled down as part of the Black Lives Matter protests. Colston was a slave owner and philanthropist; his statue had been the subject of protest for decades. The toppling of the statue led to debates around the UK and globally about the nature of public memory. Cities around the country began to review their public realm commemoration practices. The debates around the Colston statue, the legacies of colonialism, and public memory demonstrate an unprecedented moment of scrutiny about how and why historisy is used in public in the UK. They are also part of a wider phenomenon around the world. Globally, populism has efficiently used nationalist definitions of history to seek to silence opposition. In countries such as Brazil, Australia, Poland, Hungary, Colombia, New Zealand, Italy and the United States, the past has become a proxy means for the conservative right to attack opponents. Claims rooted in defending particular narratives of history and conspiracy theories have become a rallying cry for right-wing groups including neo-Nazis. Far-right and far-left groups, conservative media, and populist politicians have put incredible pressure upon historical practitioners in communities. This is a period of risk for history. It is also a moment of opportunity. This network seeks to respond to these urgent global debates. The network considers the new contexts for public history in a political climate where contested histories are themselves being contested and the legitimacy of complexity is challenged. The project will seek to understand this crisis in a global context, to make connections between communities and practitioners across the world, and to share pedagogical and commemorative practice. Working in tandem with Manchester's 'Histories, Stories and Voices' project, set up by Manchester City Council in 2021 to consider public realm commemoration in the city, the network will seek to understand the current crisis of commemorative practice and to develop practical solutions with local communities as well as creating educational resources for teaching contested histories. Manchester will act as a local case-study for the network, enabling strong, sustainable, and collaborative work to be undertaken. The exchange of ideas and practices between local, national and international practitioners will allow reflection upon issues of migration, globalisation, ethics and cultural exchange. Manchester is one of the most diverse cities in Europe, with over 200 languages spoken. It is also a place in which radical moments, from Peterloo to Suffragettism to the Rochdale Pioneers to FC United, have been memorialised as part of the fabric of the city. The network will work with many organisations in the city but focus on five partners to emphasise co-production of research and co-development of ideas.