Showing papers in "Australian Historical Studies in 2018"
TL;DR: The truth has to be told before we can move from that point of view to the future as discussed by the authors, and this is about truth-telling, not just about progress, but also about progress.
Abstract: ‘We want Australia to take a giant leap in humanity. This is about truth-telling’. Delegate, Adelaide Regional Dialogue 7–9 April 2017 ‘Our truth has to be told before we can move from that’....
30 citations
TL;DR: In the early decades of the twentieth century, escaped and liberated French convicts from the penal colony in New Caledonia arrived on Australian shores, raising concerns about p... as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Between the 1860s and the early decades of the twentieth century, escaped and liberated French convicts from the penal colony in New Caledonia arrived on Australian shores, raising concerns about p...
13 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that there is a new dynamism to the field while simultaneously making the case that migrant and refugee history has hitherto been largely quarantined from mainstream Australian historiography.
Abstract: This article canvasses recent scholarship on migrants and refugees in Australian history. It covers broadly three main fields of enquiry: White Australia, postwar immigration and refugees since the Vietnam War. We argue there is a new dynamism to the field while simultaneously making the case that migrant and refugee history has hitherto been largely quarantined from mainstream Australian historiography.
11 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an Aboriginal shield in the British Museum which is widely believed to have been used in the first encounter between Lieutenant James Cook's expedition and the Gweagal people is discussed.
Abstract: This article discusses an Aboriginal shield in the British Museum which is widely believed to have been used in the first encounter between Lieutenant James Cook's expedition and the Gweagal people...
10 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines two instances when the relationship between homosexuality and the state was contested and redrawn in Victoria and traces how the spectre of sex in public haunted the edges of public debate in both the moment when male homosex was ostensibly decriminalised at the beginning of the 1980s and during more recent moves to offer forms of redress to individuals convicted of sex crimes in the past that would now be considered legal acts.
Abstract: This article examines two instances when the relationship between homosexuality and the state was contested and redrawn in Victoria. It traces how the spectre of sex in public haunted the edges of public debate in both the moment when male homosex was ostensibly decriminalised at the beginning of the 1980s and during more recent moves to offer forms of redress to individuals convicted of sex crimes in the past that would now be considered legal acts. In both instances the spectre of sex in public unsettled a neat liberal solution. By focusing our attention on the less ‘respectable’ elements of these histories, we can see the ways in which claims for sexual citizenship retain an unruly and unpredictable edge.
8 citations
TL;DR: A collection of Indigenous artefacts made during the voyages of Captain James Cook have been extensively researched, but significant issues around the provenance and identification of artefacts rema....
Abstract: Collections of Indigenous artefacts made during the voyages of Captain James Cook have been extensively researched, but significant issues around the provenance and identification of artefacts rema...
8 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the history of engagements between Independencies is examined, focusing on the relationship between the Independents and the Church of the Bible, and a history of the Church's history is discussed.
Abstract: Tim Rowse has a rare talent for making us see things anew. He has done it in earlier books, but his latest takes that talent to new heights. It scrutinises the history of engagements between Indige...
8 citations
TL;DR: Slow Catastrophes: Living with Drought in Australia is a welcome addition to the increasing number of studies of drought in south-eastern Australia that represent a rather belated recognition of th...
Abstract: Slow Catastrophes: Living with Drought in Australia is a welcome addition to the increasing number of studies of drought in south-eastern Australia that represent a rather belated recognition of th...
7 citations
TL;DR: Paved with Good Intentions as mentioned in this paper examines the circumstances in which the promising language of rights was transformed, and re-shaped, by an ideal of "humanitarian protection" -an ideal that served to occlude the reality of the colonisers' "appropriation of Aboriginal lands" but itself was quickly forgotten as land settlement got underway.
Abstract: associated with the imperial government and its colonial intermediaries, ‘economic appropriation’ with colonial entrepreneurs, and ‘protection of Aboriginal rights’ with the humanitarians. The central chapters of the monograph explore each of these discourses in turn; how they were deployed, the purposes they served, and how they evolved. I had some reservations about this approach because people’s beliefs can be contradictory, contingent on circumstances, or simply faked to achieve a desired outcome. The very messiness of them can be revealing. However, Robert acknowledges this and, indeed, the strength of her analysis lies in her exploration of how these discourses intersected and overlapped. Paved with Good Intentions examines the circumstances in which the promising language of rights was transformed, and re-shaped, by an ideal of ‘humanitarian protection’ – an ideal that served to occlude the reality of the colonisers’ ‘appropriation of Aboriginal lands’ but itself was quickly forgotten as land settlement got underway (97). As Robert concludes, ‘colonisers employed discourses of law and economics to exclude and marginalise Aboriginal rights, whilst using humanitarian discourse and institutions to enclose and contain Aboriginal people’ (123). This is an excellent book which brings clarity to a complex subject. It deserves a wide readership.
7 citations
TL;DR: The role of sport in Aboriginal sport history has been studied in the last four decades as mentioned in this paper, but there is little scholarship on the Protection Era, and particularly on the role of sports in Aboriginal life.
Abstract: The historiography on Aboriginal sport history has grown significantly over the last four decades, but there is little scholarship on the Protection Era, and particularly on the role of sport in mi...
7 citations
TL;DR: The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, long viewed as a transgressive celebration of sexual diversity, is now widely regarded as a powerful symbol of social change as discussed by the authors, and it has been used as a symbol of tolerance and acceptance.
Abstract: The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, long viewed as a transgressive celebration of sexual diversity, is now widely regarded as a powerful symbol of social change. ABC News summed it up this way:F...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors take two instances of the era's reform initiatives (in higher education and the provision of employment services) to develop a more nuanced analysis of the reform narrative and of the history it supposedly encapsulates.
Abstract: Discontent about contemporary politics in Australia has been accompanied by a history in which the 1980s and 1990s are represented as a ‘golden era’ of policy reform. Yet as champions of the era now concede, its prescriptions are failing. This should encourage contemporary historians to debate the evidence of achievement and reasons for decline. This article takes two instances of the era's reform initiatives – in higher education and the provision of employment services – to develop a more nuanced analysis of the reform narrative and of the history it supposedly encapsulates.
TL;DR: When the Japanese Antarctic Expedition arrived unexpectedly in Sydney Harbour in May 1911, its members anticipated a hostile reception in a country renowned for its White Australia Policy Contrary as mentioned in this paper, but they were met with a warm welcome.
Abstract: When the Japanese Antarctic Expedition arrived unexpectedly in Sydney Harbour in May 1911, its members anticipated a hostile reception in a country renowned for its White Australia Policy Contrary
TL;DR: The authors situate Australian Elizabeth Reid's contribution to International Women's Year (IWY) (1975) within ongoing historiographical discussions on development and human rights, placing Reid as a participant in the 1970s human rights breakthrough.
Abstract: This article situates Australian Elizabeth Reid's contribution to International Women's Year (IWY) (1975) within ongoing historiographical discussions on development and human rights. The world's first advisor on women's affairs to a head of government, Reid used the burgeoning Women's Liberation Movement's critique of sexism' to challenge IWY's goals of formal equality, a limited and undesirable outcomes that prevented women and men from instead becoming more human'. These ideas were then used to challenge the dominance of economic development over individual and collective rights at the 1975 Mexico City conference, placing Reid as a participant in the 1970s human rights breakthrough'.
TL;DR: For colonial entrepreneurs looking for land in the 1830s, "good intentions" were a perfectly satisfactory strategy in securing Arcadian outcomes as discussed by the authors. But good intentions pave the road to Hell.
Abstract: Proverbially, ‘good intentions’ pave the road to hell, but for colonial entrepreneurs looking for land in the 1830s they were a perfectly satisfactory strategy in securing Arcadian outcomes. The 18...
TL;DR: The authors provide an excellent overview of the history of South Australian colonialism, which has been less researched than other jurisdictive states, including Tasmania and New South Wales. But they do not discuss the role of women in South Australian colonisation.
Abstract: This is a large and important book for several reasons. First, it provides an excellent overview of the history of South Australian colonialism, which has been less researched than other jurisdicti...
TL;DR: Lesbians in Sydney during the 1980s and 1990s faced a range of barriers to expressing their diverse sexual desires and identities: from the male dominance of the commercial gay scene and its associ...
Abstract: Lesbians in Sydney during the 1980s and 1990s faced a range of barriers to expressing their diverse sexual desires and identities: from the male dominance of the commercial gay scene and its associ...
TL;DR: Transnational Protest as discussed by the authors offers a history of Australian radical activism in the late 1960s through six case studies, examining the ways that activists in Australia received and responded to international protest.
Abstract: Transnational Protest offers a history of Australian radical activism in the late 1960s through six case studies. Each case study examines the ways that activists in Australia received and responde...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that "environmental history that neglects vernacular witnessing registers a significantly inadequate sense of place" and "Oral history that fails to listen beyond the human for voices, sounds, and stories haz...
Abstract: Environmental history that neglects vernacular witnessing registers a significantly inadequate sense of place. Oral history that fails to listen beyond the human for voices, sounds, and stories haz...
TL;DR: A history of the marriage equality campaign in Australia, which began in 2004 and achieved success in 20 years, is described in this paper, where a history of twenty-first century LGBTI activism in Australia is described.
Abstract: This article begins a history of twenty-first century LGBTI activism in Australia. It writes a history of the marriage equality campaign in Australia, which began in 2004 and achieved success in 20...
TL;DR: On the third anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan on 18 August 1969, a simple but distinctive concrete cross was planted on the site of the battle to remember the eighteen Australian lives lost as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: On the third anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan on 18 August 1969, a simple but distinctive concrete cross was planted on the site of the battle to remember the eighteen Australian lives lost. T...
TL;DR: The economic motivations for the formulation of Australia's 'White Australia' policies were expressed by contemporaries and have been discussed by scholars as mentioned in this paper. But what is worthy of further attention is the s...
Abstract: Economic motivations for the formulation of Australia’s ‘White Australia’ policies were expressed by contemporaries and have been discussed by scholars. What is worthy of further attention is the s...
Abstract: In their introduction to this collection, David Stephens and Alison Broinowski distinguish between ‘honest history’, the concept, and ‘honest history’, the coalition: a group of (mostly) historians...
TL;DR: Kass as discussed by the authors argues that Australian educators were actively participating in a transnational exchange of theories and practices, with influences going out to exchange as well as coming in, and illustrates transnationalism as a reciprocal process, facilitated not only by educational tourists such as Knibbs and Turner but also by a steady traffic in books, journals and official reports between various countries.
Abstract: change is the theme of the final chapter and Kass charts the incorporation and subordination of nature study into other subjects across the twentieth century. AlthoughKass is not preoccupied by theorising, this book is an exemplar of the ‘transnational turn’ inAustralianhistory.Kass treatsAustralia as a node in the transnational circulation of people, ideas and practices through the English-speaking world. Furthermore, she argues that ‘Australian educatorswere actively participating in a transnational exchange of theories and practices, with influences going out to exchange as well as coming in’ (71). Chapter three is a compelling illustration of transnationalism as a reciprocal process, facilitated not only by educational tourists such as Knibbs and Turner but also by a steady traffic in books, journals and official reports between various countries, not to mention personal correspondence. Indeed, EducationalReformandEnvironmental Concern is underpinned by meticulous archival research across a wide range of sources and thoughtful assessment of their uses. Besides the standard public reports and publications from the Department of Public Instruction, Kass has accessed classroom practice through teachers’ lesson plans and photographs, the former rarely kept or deposited in archives. She has included children’s writing and literature written for children. The book thus provides some insights into the everydaywork of ordinarywhite teachers and students. However, it probably underplays the significance of Froebelian ideas and the kindergarten movement in facilitating nature study, and perhaps also women educators. Kass highlights Martha Simpson as one of five influential educators in the nature study movement in chapter four, but there were others with close associations to key men and reports. A subsequent study might enquire into the potential influence of feminist educator Maybanke Anderson (who was married to Francis Anderson), along with women educators and transnational networkers such as Harriet Newcombe and Margaret Hodge who gave evidence to the Knibbs and Turner commission. Another very important area of enquiry needs to be the extent to which nature study as a curriculum and practice reinforced white Australian possession of the land and the marginalisation of Aboriginal peoples. Notwithstanding these points, this book is an exemplary curriculum history and an environmental history which includes schooling as a core component.
TL;DR: This article explored the history of Australia's engagement with Antarctica through music, from the earliest songs and an opera created by the first Australian explorers to Antarctica, to the popular Antarctic-related classical music of Australian composer Nigel Westlake and the soundscape-based compositions of Australia-based sound artists Philip Samartzis and Lawrence English.
Abstract: This article explores the history of Australia’s engagement with Antarctica through music, from the earliest songs and an opera created by the first Australian explorers to Antarctica, to the popular Antarctic-related classical music of Australian composer Nigel Westlake and the soundscape-based compositions of Australia-based sound artists Philip Samartzis and Lawrence English. Drawing on the field of musicology, but also the scholarly turn to the senses as part of the broadening reach of cultural history, the article argues that Australia’s musical engagement with Antarctica constitutes a significant, though understudied, aspect of our aural heritage. Further, deeper and critical appreciation of this music as cultural and aural heritage enhances our ability to reflect on the full extent of Australia’s relationship with, and contribution to knowledge about, its ‘Great Frozen Neighbour’ and its identity as a ‘gateway’ to the Antarctic region.
TL;DR: The Good Country as discussed by the authors is a good undergraduate book review exercise that includes a small number of photographs of survivors and dwellings in the 1850s and includes a short history of the area.
Abstract: Djadja Wurrung between 1840 and 1852, Attwood argues that Parker’s protection was effective insofar as the few Djadja Wurrung who became farmers, rural workers and Christians and distanced themselves from goldfields mayhem in the 1850s were the ancestors (thirty-eight estimated in 1863) of those who now identify as Djadja Wurrung. The book includes a small number of photographs of survivors and dwellings in the 1850s. (For what survival now means, see www.djadjawurrung.com. au/.) Concise, focused on places and people and alert to the historiography, The Good Country would be a good undergraduate book review exercise – exemplary in every way.
TL;DR: Peopling, Settling and Governing as mentioned in this paper explores the manifold reasons for colonisation, from forced convict migration to men and women seeking better futures, how similar British legal and governance foundations were established, and the shared development of self-government.
Abstract: tural historian at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Morgan has published widely in gender, colonialism and imperialism in the British Empire with a nineteenth-century Canadian foundation. A first chapter focuses on Indigenous people and diverse encounters ranging from military conflict to peaceful negotiation, but a common theme is dispossession andmarginalisation, increasing control by officials and suppression of language and culture. ‘Peopling, Settling and Governing’ explores the manifold reasons for colonisation, from forced convict migration to men and women seeking better futures, how similar British legal and governance foundations were established, and the shared development of self-government. A chapter on economies and labour emphasises that the ideal of the independent ‘yeoman’ white male farmer was far from realised in every society, where varied economies emerged aside from agriculture: pastoralism, whaling, logging, fishing, mining. A wide range of labour was mobilised: slave, convict, coerced, unpaid, and indentured, with Indigenous, South Asian and Chinese people in these categories; and the labour movement largely excluded them. A chapter on ‘civil society’ examines domesticity and family, religion, education and voluntary institutions, and how all vied to regulate and police marriage and intimate relations of and between settlers and Indigenous people. A final chapter explores identity and culture as expressed through imperial exhibitions, and commemorative monuments (a particular strength of the book and an area of Morgan’s expertise). In each society imperial devotion became part of the process of nation building. The identities, cultures and experiences of ethnic minorities and Indigenous people were subsumed and smothered. The book is imaginatively written. Each chapter begins with quotations from the letters or narratives of two people caught in the web of settler colonialism, whose words illustrate themes to be explored, and these shed light on the lives of ordinary people, rather than the luminaries and architects of empire. The ‘Peopling’ chapter for example begins with a letter by Susannah Wall, unhappily separated from ‘home’ and struggling with the tasks of daily life and the unfamiliarity of New Zealand, while Thomas Dyke confidently doled out advice to emigrants, extolling the Empire and the opportunities and benefits that awaited the settler. At the same time these quotations point out the limitations of our conventional sources, and the challenge of providing multiple perspectives. There is only one by an Indigenous person, and none by South Asian, Chinese, Doukhobor or other diverse settlers. In a sweeping survey, some topics will be given little to no coverage, and it seems a pointless exercise to itemise these. And syntheses are only as good as the work of previous historians on which they depend. Why no systematic discussion of women and suffrage across the settler colonies? Likely because it is yet to be written. I admire the wide range of topics that are presented, introducing many dimensions of the vibrant field of research that has emerged over the past two decades called the ‘new’ British imperial history that has intersected with postcolonial and settler colonial studies. Building Better Britains? provided a valuable foundation in a recent seminar onWestern Canada in the context of British settler colonies. It generated interesting discussion on the challenges of writing comparative colonial and transnational histories and of conveying multiple perspectives, on the privileging of the ‘settler’ and the colonial archive in settler colonial studies, and on topics that call out for more attention from historians. It helped us to grasp what Canada shared with other settler colonies, and appreciate the distinct variations and departures, as well as the diversity of the Indigenous people, settlers, economies and institutions of this region alone.
TL;DR: For twenty years after World War I veterans experiencing homelessness inspired narratives that left their mark on the politics of repatriation, Fear of the vagrant mob underpinned the establishment as mentioned in this paper. But these narratives were not always accurate.
Abstract: For twenty years after World War I veterans experiencing homelessness inspired narratives that left their mark on the politics of repatriation. Fear of the vagrant mob underpinned the establishment...
TL;DR: This paper presented a positive argument about the reform of political fundamentals at a time when disillusion with politics and institutions is at an all-time high. But they did not discuss the role of the media.
Abstract: There is a lot to like about a book that presents a positive argument about the reform of political fundamentals when disillusion with politics and institutions is at an all-time high. Benjamin Jon...