[Music]
when you think about the world history
what is the first thing that comes to
your mind well we may all have different
answers but I am sure that we can agree
on this one one thing though
yes we a story well maybe not all Hume
Gris with me
because I totally forgot that I matter
today's conference
so after historian told a tantrum was
said history is taught to not be dumped
history is supposed to guide the people
but these days
sadly though history has been relegated
to just another subject that you were
forced in high school and never to be
useful again speaking of high school
that reminds me of the history classes
in my childhood I remember having a
small in a notebook just to memorize the
stuff I used to write down Kings names
warnings dates locations in that small
book at the time I thought I was doing
what a top student would do but but in
retrospect it was a vain effort I didn't
learn anything from doing that but full
disclosure though I finished school here
in Yemma but I I'm sure we might share
some lights periences when it comes to
history classes write in the book
rebooting social studies by Greg Milo
there is a very interesting argument
let's say we want some students do learn
about King Mindo Mindo me for those of
you who don't know who my Romy is he is
a Burmese King who led the major reforms
in the late 19th century together with
his younger brother and he is quite
notorious for having so many wives and
children so the main question is does it
really matter whether we remember
the day he was born or the name of his
ministers or the number of wives but
instead we should be focusing on he
having that many children led to purges
and stripes that ultimately led to the
annexation by the British this is the
curriculum is more focused on content
such as dates names and locations and
less on important skills such as
research critical thinking writing and
quick creativity let me tell you a story
I went to an engineering school here in
Myanmar but wait wait I am still a
history buff so we have a good small
girl friends that we would talk about
history stuff all day like American
Revolution Renaissance or war - you know
what we have in common we play lots of
video games games like house of Iron Age
of Empires and and of course is of
course yes assassin creed why do why do
I wonder turns out in the games we are
really more than we are more than dancer
in the games we are more than mere
observers we are creating histories we
are I I can say we are creating
alternate histories so let's define
alternate histories alternate history is
a speculative fiction account of a real
historical event with a slight twist of
what-if scenario some examples might
include what if the exes won the war war
two Nanako scenario what if the
President Kennedy survived the
assassination or how about how about the
Carthaginian conquer the Romans but you
know what they are still fictional and
speculations it is impossible to prove a
fictional statement I mean I can say
something outrageous like after a
President Kennedy survived the Vietnam
war escalated to
all three or even more outrageous I can
say them some aliens invaded the earth
during President Kennedy turn I can say
that I think that is one of the most
controversial ex-federal alternate
history and it's one of the primary
source of scrutiny from the mainstream
historians okay now that I've talked
about the downsides I think we can move
on and apply it to a real scenario let's
say we want some students to learn about
the prince canal assassination on him
and general politics of the late 19th
century firma of as some context the
press can now use the press crown is
actually the younger brother of the
middle me that I mentioned earlier and
he is well known for his major major
Reformation efforts so okay back on
track in the in the tradition of method
we would memorize that you know the
prince was assassinated on on august 2nd
1866 and then we might learn that some
event after that spoiler let Rama was
annex so we just learned some event no
background no context right okay let
what if we apply the what-if scenario
okay from here on I'm gonna need to make
a disclaimer I'm I'm gonna be making
some of my own interpretation of his
interpretation of history and you are
more than welcome to disagree with
disagree with me because after all there
is a point of alternate history okay so
let's start with why why would the print
survived for that my my imagination is
that that the princess efforts to
diplomacy were quite fruitful that we
are actually good friends with United
States so in that in this scenario he
would have known that even the President
Lincoln were assassinated as year
earlier in 1865 so that I don't know he
would have probably improved up
security okay this done quite fishiness
but there is a historical fact behind
that because permit actually tried to
establish diplomatic contact with United
States and even the students were sent
to the States as early as the 1850s so
now what will happen after one thing for
sure Mahnomen will be abdicated and the
prince will begin the King because
middlemen was well known for being too
soft by by his contemporaries so how
about the direction that the new king
will take for that we can look at we can
look at Japan because Japan and Burma
share a very similar experience they are
religious conservative Kingdom a
geopolitical strategic location in fact
I actually imagine that Konami know will
actually be good friends with me tea of
meaty of Japan so we can we can think of
like Burma will be technological you're
friends with we can imagine like Burma
will be technologically advanced with
move with modern political system
economy and of course no one will be
wearing logee's like right now most
people right now because actually they
they even they didn't wear kimonos
immediately after the Meiji Restoration
despite the fact that alternate history
have a lot of another shock and chakra
means and its own it's all controversies
because from the earlier examples we can
conclude what makes content history good
one thing is the why of the scenario and
the premise mastery-based in real and
possible history I mean I cannot see
somebody ridiculous like what if what if
Napoleon invaded Japan because he could
not and another thing is that no funny
stuff
no crazy stuff like no time travel
Stanwell was implemented in a lot of
alternate history scenarios just plain
old what-if scenarios so next time when
you think of a powerful and defining
moment in history ask yourself this
question what if just what if this event
is different and next thing you know
you'll be writing your own alternate
history novel full of rich and
inconspicuous little details and you
would have done a analysis of a real
historic event you can be your own
amateur historian right now and if you
can do that that's why my talk has
surfaced purpose so thank you and good
luck
you