Looking over the eternal flame towards the Shrine of Remembrance
21 May 2007 The inaugural Monash Arts Public Lecture “War and Remembrance” held at the Shrine on May 21st proved highly successful, drawing a capacity crowd from across Melbourne.
Speakers included esteemed historians Emeritus Professor Ken Inglis (Australian National University), and Professor Jay Winter (Yale University), both distinguished authors of a number of seminal studies on the commemoration of the Great War.
Introducing the public lecture series, Professor Rae Frances Dean of Arts said, “Monash is Australia’s most international university… we have a strong and proud record of community outreach. The idea behind this lecture series is that we build bridges, to the wider community and throughout the world, across disciplines and across cultural institutions… The series will showcase the work of leading public intellectuals, scholars and writers.”
Professor Frances went on to acknowledge the founding role of Sir John Monash in the creation of the Shrine.
Speakers: Professor Rae Frances (Dean), Professor Peter Edwards, Professor Jay Winter and Emeritus Professor Ken Inglis
Professor Ken Inglis spoke about the role of war memorials in Australia’s physical and cultural landscape and captured the imagination of the audience with his visual tour of the Shrine, explaining the meanings embodied in the memorial.
Public Trustee of the Shrine, and distinguished military historian Professor Peter Edwards reflected on the Shrine’s mission and the role it plays in society.
In a thought-provoking discussion on the universal significance of the theme of ‘war and remembrance’, Jay Winter spoke about how it has become central to our understanding of public history and why we need to distinguish between memory from remembrance. He drew particular attention to the ongoing importance of anti-war sentiment to the way in which wars are commemorated. His presentation provoked a lively and appreciative response from the audience.
War and Remembrance was a Joint Public Outreach Venture by the Shrine of Remembrance and Monash University. The event was made possible by the efforts of Professor Bruce Scates, Research Fellow in the Monash Institute for Global Movements.
Video & Audio
Video Stream (Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4)
Video Downloads
Audio
- Part 1 (Real Audio | mp3)
- Part 2 (Real Audio | mp3)
- Part 3 (Real Audio | mp3)
- Part 4 (Real Audio | mp3)
Return to the Arts Public Lecture Series Home.
