The Romanticisation of History
2017
Over the course of the past decade, “vintage” has experienced a monumental resurgence. The demand for products, entertainment, and fashion that harks back to decades past has increased exponentially, accompanied by a potentially misguided nostalgia for a time synonymous with a simpler, easier life. The passing of time provides us with the benefits of perspective and reflection, but there is a danger in society’s growing tendency to bridge the gap between then and now with romanticisation and idealisation; it is impossible to ascertain an accurate perception of history if we are only willing to reflect on it through rose-tinted glasses.
Romanticising anything can be dangerous and regressive, but when our “white-supremacist society” (Jensen, 2005, p.18) romanticises history - where all too often the narrative is woven from threads of colonialism, racism, women’s suffrage and homophobia - entire groups of people are silenced. Their stories are omitted, their contributions are overlooked, and the barbaric mistreatment they suffered at the hands of society is downplayed. We are all too often presented with an idealised, whitewashed version of history; selectively edited and deliberately misconstrued, that bares little resemblance to the reality of the time.
Society has experienced a seismic shift in attitudes towards entire groups of people over the course of the last half a century, but a refusal to accept, represent, and portray our history in its entirety would be to undo any semblance of progress we claim to have made. The people whose voices were silenced, and whose stories were never told, now have the opportunity to be heard. To continue to deny them their right to speak would be tantamount to the mistreatment they suffered in their own time. History is a shared story, with no one author; the full truth of the past must be told, mitigated by the acceptance and tolerance of the present.
Reference List
Jensen, R. (2005) The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege. San Francisco: City Lights.
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