Napoleon Bonaparte is credited with saying that 'history is a set of lies agreed upon.' But whose lies are they? And who agreed upon them? For the second annual E.W. Cole Lecture, presented as part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, historian and author Santilla Chingaipe asks, 'who gets to write history?' Drawing on her work exploring settler colonialism, slavery, and post-colonial migration in Australia, Chingaipe scrutinises the process of writing history, questioning what is considered historical truth and whose histories may be erased as a result. Following a thought-provoking address, Chingaipe will be joined by Zoe Laidlaw, Professor of History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at University of Melbourne. Together they will interrogate the process of recording the past and ask what needs to change to stop history from repeating itself.
Supported by The E. W. Cole Foundation.
Spring Fling returned in 2023, and this year we went Above and Beyond. We looked further, delved deeper, and asked bigger questions with outstanding thinkers who are reshaping our world and envisioning extraordinary futures.
Spring Fling is supported by the Victorian State Government.
Assistive Listening
Accessible toilets available
Registered Assistance Animals welcome
Wheelchair accessible
Santilla Chingaipe is a filmmaker, historian and author, whose work explores settler colonialism, slavery, and postcolonial migration in Australia. Chingaipe’s critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary Our African ...
Zoë Laidlaw is Professor of History at the University of Melbourne. She grew up in western Victoria and completed Honours degrees in Arts and Science at the University of Melbourne, and a doctorate in History at the University of Oxford ...