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You are invited in this special category of the National History Challenge to develop a museum display that depicts 'Australia meets the World in our Social History'.
You might choose to create a museum display on one of the following objects/themes:
1. Wiggles' tops:
Exporting Australian talent; Australian innovation in entertainment and education; Australian culture and Australian enterprise in the world market; continuum of Australian-produced children's television/productions taken up by international market.
2. Professor Graeme Clark's 'bionic ear':
Exporting Australian technological innovation; international profile for Australian medical technology; demonstration of Australian research and development skills on the 'world stage' and evidence of Australian resourcefulness and dedication.
3. Bali bombing commemoration artefacts:
Australia's direct experience of international terrorism; evidence of the proximity of terrorist groups to Australia; heightened sense in Australia of vulnerability to terrorist attacks domestically and overseas and evidence of Australians' degree of compassion and empathy for other Australians and citizens of other countries affected by terrorist campaigns.
4. Torres Strait Islander headdress based upon Second World War Pacific theatre Allied fighter aeroplane:
Impact of international conflict upon Indigenous Australian people; traditional interpretations of military technology; Japanese armed forces threat to Australia during Second World War; adaptation of objects from other cultures to Indigenous Australian storytelling, rituals and ceremonies.
5. Objects relating to the Olympic/Paralympic Games:
Australian athletes' successes in international sports; Australian interest in sports and the desire to compete at international level; the 1956 Melbourne and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games; international recognition of the quality and dedication of Australian athletes.
6. Olive King, First World War ambulance driver:
Australians seeking adventure in other parts of the world; allegiance to 'Mother England' in the early twentieth century; the tradition of Australians giving non-combatant service in international conflicts; Australian women demonstrating tremendous courage in international conflicts.
7. Ernabella Arts Indigenous batik designs:
Indigenous appropriation of visual arts media from other cultures; international demand for Indigenous Australian visual arts; production of Australian Indigenous visual arts for international tourist market; sharing Indigenous Australian culture with the world.
8. Joe Donovan's 1974 Commonwealth Games jacket:
Indigenous Australia's sporting representation at an international level; Australian Commonwealth Games history; Indigenous Australian athletic prowess demonstrated at an international level; Indigenous Australian identity expressed via international sporting events.
9. Objects and artefacts relating to Australian aviation history:
Establishment of international commercial air routes; expansion of air travel to and from Australia; development of Qantas; cross cultural exchange between Australia and other countries; emergence of Australia as a major international tourist destination.
In developing a museum display, it is important to recognise that there may be a range of different historical, social and political perspectives that you will need to consider. There may also be a variety of evidence that you need to present, which illustrates different points of view on the topic you have chosen that relates to 'Australia meets the World'.
Be sure to:
- identify how 'Australia meets the World'
- focus on testimony/witnesses to the story
- identify the social significance of your story; including its effects on values, attitudes and beliefs
- show a variety of evidence
- give your own opinion
- include community responses
- identify any government involvement.
In selecting and displaying the stories, images or objects that you will use to illustrate your museum display, ensure that you place them within an appropriate historical and social context.
Conduct research to learn how the stories, images or objects fit into the broader theme.
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