Past Program

“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” ― George Orwell, 1984

Rhodes Must Fall in South Africa. The removal of Confederate memorials in the United States. The toppling Edward Colston’s statue into Bristol harbor. Calls for historic figures to be “cancelled” and injustices to be acknowledged. But how can these struggles for control of the past be more democratic, engaging communities and charting more creative, civil outcomes amidst the sound and fury? 

Delivering the 2021 Palliser Lecture, Neil MacGregor, former director of the British Museum and National Gallery, togeither with an expert panel, will address the ongoing culture war, examine how communities have addressed their contested histories to help guide future action, and explore how to bring communities together around monuments and public spaces rather than drive them further apart.

This Palliser Lecture will continue the series of 21st Century Trust and Salzburg Global events on the role of history in today’s world, which has included Should History Carry A Health Warning?, the 2020 Palliser Lecture by Margaret MacMillan; and Who Owns The Past? in early 2021 which marked the publication of Contested Histories in Public Spaces: Principles, Process, Best Practices by the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation, the International Bar Association and Salzburg Global Seminar.