Submitted by Paul Daley on
Too many politicians opt for an uncomplicated For-We-Are-Young-and-Free narrative, but we can be so much more
Even before the Senate recently voted for an inquiry with wide-ranging terms of reference into “nationhood, national identity and democracy”, the word was out among progressive historians who’ve long wanted a public airing of how history informs our democracy.
Indeed, an open inquiry into how history instructs our national sense of self, and how politicians cherrypick the bits that suit (to justify participation in modern wars, for example, or so they might deliberately eclipse in public consciousness the conflicts and massacres upon which the modern state is founded) is long overdue.
Related: Greens concerned 'nationhood' inquiry could be hijacked by extremists
We need more statues of Indigenous people and migrants, of women and risk-takers who’ve enhanced our democracy
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