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Citation: 

Taylor, Tony. “Under Siege from Right and Left: A Tale of the Australian School History Wars.” In History Wars and the Classroom: Global Perspectives, edited by R. Guyver and T. Taylor, 25-50. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2012.

Abstract/Summary: 

Taylor begins by discussing the narrative of what he calls the “proto-history wars” that began in the mid 1980s. The History Wars began in Australia in 2003 when Melbourne University Press published a book, titled The History Wars. After the release of the book the debate concerning Australia’s past erupted. There were two major controversies: arguments concerning historiography, race relations and professional integrity; and the teaching and learning of Australian history in government schools. The chapter aims to outline and analyze the story of the history wars in Australia, which have their roots in post-1945 attempts to replace history with social studies, through to the Howard government’s attempt in 2006-2007 to usurp history education in schools. The chapter is divided into three sections: the effect of social studies on history education, the background events leading to the government attempt to take control of history education at the 2006 Australian History Summit, and a narrative written by Taylor outlining his involvement in the Summit and dealing with the outcomes.

Source/Credit: 
Erika Smith