Smith, Carly
(2018)
A different kind of story: pedagogy of hope at The Ration Shed Museum, Cherbourg.
Queensland Review, 25 (2).
pp. 191-207.
ISSN 1321-8166
Abstract
In recounting the history of Cherbourg as an Aboriginal settlement, the Ration Shed Museum presents some traumatic narratives. It paints a picture of violent geographic and cultural dislocation, crude living conditions, forced labour and administrative oppression by infusing historical artefacts with the personal recollections of Cherbourg residents. The intent behind the Ration Shed Museum itself, however, is something quite different: its curators want to tell a story that speaks of hope for this community’s future, and to work towards some form of reconciliation. They do this by actively engaging with the ‘terrible gift’ of the past in the present, and by providing spaces for encounters that can lead to open discussions of difficult social issues and celebrations of contem- porary Cherbourg life. This article draws on ethnographic interviews and observational data alongside the theoretical work of Roger I. Simon and Andrea Witcomb to describe how the Ration Shed Museum engages its community and visitors in a dual process of both understanding Cherbourg’s history and reframing traumatic narratives to enact a pedagogy of hope.
| Item Type: |
Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C)
|
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Item Status: |
Live Archive |
| Additional Information: |
Published version deposited in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: |
Historic - Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts - School of Arts and Communication (1 Jul 2013 - 28 Feb 2019) |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: |
Historic - Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts - School of Arts and Communication (1 Jul 2013 - 28 Feb 2019) |
| Date Deposited: |
24 Jan 2019 02:55 |
| Last Modified: |
24 Jan 2019 04:58 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
museums; pedagogy of hope; museum and heritage studies; memorial studies; Indigenous histories; museum pedagogies |
| Fields of Research (2008): |
21 History and Archaeology > 2102 Curatorial and Related Studies > 210204 Museum Studies
21 History and Archaeology > 2102 Curatorial and Related Studies > 210202 Heritage and Cultural Conservation
20 Language, Communication and Culture > 2002 Cultural Studies > 200299 Cultural Studies not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): |
43 HISTORY, HERITAGE AND ARCHAEOLOGY > 4302 Heritage, archive and museum studies > 430299 Heritage, archive and museum studies not elsewhere classified
43 HISTORY, HERITAGE AND ARCHAEOLOGY > 4302 Heritage, archive and museum studies > 430205 Heritage and cultural conservation
47 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 4702 Cultural studies > 470299 Cultural studies not elsewhere classified |
| Socio-Economic Objectives (2008): |
C Society > 95 Cultural Understanding > 9503 Heritage > 950302 Conserving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage
C Society > 95 Cultural Understanding > 9599 Other Cultural Understanding > 959999 Cultural Understanding not elsewhere classified
C Society > 95 Cultural Understanding > 9505 Understanding Past Societies > 950503 Understanding Australia's Past |
| Identification Number or DOI: |
https://doi.org/10.1017/qre.2018.28 |
| URI: |
http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/35273 |
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