Alètheia

Abstract

Knowledge of the past is a contentious issue in many contexts for a variety of reasons. The issue of historical truth is particularly problematic in Australia where in recent decades many Aboriginal Australians have challenged previously held interpretations of colonization, settlement and continued interaction. Entangled in this controversy are issues of memory and history relating to not only who is telling the truth but also what counts as truth in discussions of the past.
This presentation will be a brief introduction to the theme of autobiographical memory in an Aboriginal Australian community looking at the forms reminiscences of the past often take in this context and the ways in which these kinds of stories have been treated by various disciplines. The primarily focus of this paper will be the role of time and temporality in assessments of verticality from history, philosophy and anthropology in regards to certain types of Aboriginal Australian stories.