Historical Thinking, Culture and Education

Decolonizing art history in Austria

2025-05-14T09:35:19+00:00

The numerous images of cultural difference in art history have formed part of the legitimization process of colonial ideologies. They play an important role within current debates on researching, teaching, and learning against the backdrop of colonialism. In the wake of decolonial endeavors within German-speaking academia, it is of interest to take a closer look at the discipline in Austria. Referring to Viktoria Schmidt-Linsenhoff and her thesis of the “colonial unconscious” in German art history, this paper transfers the discussion to the Austrian context. Particular attention is paid to the concept of exoticism and its manifestations in the visual arts. Using case studies from the late 19th century, this paper examines the various ways non-European people were represented at the time of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. The entanglements of artistic practices with European colonialism emphasize the necessity of postcolonial re-readings of images in Austria’s historical culture and art history.

Decolonising Australian history education

2025-02-10T23:23:18+00:00

History education communities worldwide are grappling with the imperative to decolonise history education. Australian history education researchers are uniquely placed to contribute to this project, owing to their experience of decolonising history education within a settler-colonial context. We do not claim to have any quick fixes, however, recent scholarship provides practical strategies for enacting decolonising approaches and elevating sovereign First Nations voices in history classrooms. The article encapsulates these strategies as actions centred on critically reflecting, listening, learning, localising and evaluating. It also illustrates how the concepts of place, positionality, and settler colonialism provide theoretical underpinnings for this work. Overall, it shows that although structural reforms need to be led by First Nations leaders and communities, non-Indigenous educators have a responsibility for decolonising history education and themselves. International readers will be interested in how these approaches and challenges converge with those in their own contexts.

Decolonizing the capuchin monkey?

2025-04-30T18:25:32+00:00

This article explores the colonial dimensions of Salzburg’s cultural heritage by examining the early modern Cabinet of Art and Curiosities in the former residence of the prince-archbishops. The collection serves as a case study tracing historical global entanglements of European colonialism and to critically assess museal practices. Drawing on both archival sources and secondary literature, we reflect on the historical creation and contemporary exhibition, as well as its framing and persistent Eurocentric narratives and imaginaries of non-European cultures and nature. We argue that, due to Salzburg’s historical special position within the Holy Roman Empire and ideological heritage, the decision to preserve, rather than transform, the Cabinet has become central for the current form of the exhibition.

How to use image interpretation scaffolds in history classrooms

2025-02-04T12:56:55+00:00

Images, particularly photographs, are ubiquitous in history education, offering opportunities for fostering historical reasoning. However, adolescents often engage with images passively and superficially, rather than thoroughly and critically examining them. This article introduces two image interpretation scaffolds – sequenced and flexible – that can support adolescent students in the analysis and interpretation of visual historical sources. Connecting integration of the scaffolds to didactical frameworks, this overview discusses how they can promote active inquiry and critical reasoning. Further, this article shows the complementary role of internet search and AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) in fostering deeper engagement during the analysis and interpretation with the scaffolds. Practical recommendations are provided for history educators to use the sequenced and flexible image interpretation scaffolds effectively, enabling students to view reasoning about and with images not merely as a passive process but as an active inquiry of the past.