A History of Now

The connection between history and COVID-19 might appear counter-intuitive. We are used to being told by media outlets and employers, government officials and friends that we are ‘living in unprecedented times’. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the rhythms of our daily lives, but not every respons...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Meg Foster, Toni Burton, Mark Finnane, Carolyn Fraser, Peter Hobbins, Hollie Pich
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UTS ePRESS 2020-12-01
Series:Public History Review
Subjects:
Online Access:https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/phrj/article/view/7542
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spelling doaj-610fd8bf62244ee8926c716718250b7c2021-02-03T02:37:00ZengUTS ePRESSPublic History Review1833-49892020-12-012710.5130/phrj.v27i0.7542A History of NowMeg Foster0Toni Burton1Mark Finnane2Carolyn Fraser3Peter Hobbins4Hollie Pich5Newnham College, University of CambridgeState Library of VictoriaGriffith UniversityState Library of VictoriaUniversity of Sydney & Artefact HeritageUniversity of Sydney The connection between history and COVID-19 might appear counter-intuitive. We are used to being told by media outlets and employers, government officials and friends that we are ‘living in unprecedented times’. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the rhythms of our daily lives, but not every response to COVID-19 has been new. It has also been understood through history. This article comes from a roundtable discussion that was held as part of NSW History Week on 11 September 2020. Bringing together historians, curators and archivists, this panel explored the way that history has been used to understand COVID-19. Particular attention was paid to attempts to record and archive our experiences through the pandemic, comparisons between COVID-19 and the ‘Spanish’ flu as well as shifting understandings of temporality during the pandemic. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has ruptured our quotidian experience, it is not a moment beyond history. This panel examined how history is being used as an anchor point, a source of inspiration and an educational tool with which to tackle ‘these uncertain times’. https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/phrj/article/view/7542COVID-19Historical ConsciousnessPandemicPublic HistoryContemporary HistoryMedical History
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Meg Foster
Toni Burton
Mark Finnane
Carolyn Fraser
Peter Hobbins
Hollie Pich
spellingShingle Meg Foster
Toni Burton
Mark Finnane
Carolyn Fraser
Peter Hobbins
Hollie Pich
A History of Now
Public History Review
COVID-19
Historical Consciousness
Pandemic
Public History
Contemporary History
Medical History
author_facet Meg Foster
Toni Burton
Mark Finnane
Carolyn Fraser
Peter Hobbins
Hollie Pich
author_sort Meg Foster
title A History of Now
title_short A History of Now
title_full A History of Now
title_fullStr A History of Now
title_full_unstemmed A History of Now
title_sort history of now
publisher UTS ePRESS
series Public History Review
issn 1833-4989
publishDate 2020-12-01
description The connection between history and COVID-19 might appear counter-intuitive. We are used to being told by media outlets and employers, government officials and friends that we are ‘living in unprecedented times’. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the rhythms of our daily lives, but not every response to COVID-19 has been new. It has also been understood through history. This article comes from a roundtable discussion that was held as part of NSW History Week on 11 September 2020. Bringing together historians, curators and archivists, this panel explored the way that history has been used to understand COVID-19. Particular attention was paid to attempts to record and archive our experiences through the pandemic, comparisons between COVID-19 and the ‘Spanish’ flu as well as shifting understandings of temporality during the pandemic. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has ruptured our quotidian experience, it is not a moment beyond history. This panel examined how history is being used as an anchor point, a source of inspiration and an educational tool with which to tackle ‘these uncertain times’.
topic COVID-19
Historical Consciousness
Pandemic
Public History
Contemporary History
Medical History
url https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/phrj/article/view/7542
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