The Australian Historical Association
The site for and about historians working in or on Australia.
Congratulations to Justin Chadwick on the publication of his new book, which is a collection of 86 biographies, representing every Australian Army officer to reach the rank of major general from Federation to the outbreak of World War II. It describes a crucial period in Australian military history through the lives of the men at its Read more …
Honest History asks why do the people who control our war memorials look so unlike the rest of us and why does this matter? And, a century on, how much will we hear about the big domestic stories of the Great War? The ‘Gentle Reader’ reviews Anthony Hill’s book about a Canberra region family in Read more …
New material on Honest History’s website includes a 36 page ‘Alternative Guide to the Australian War Memorial’ (aimed at senior secondary students and teachers); a piece on the impact of the Irish Easter Rising in 1916 on Australia (using the work of Stephanie James and Jeff Kildea); two pieces on Ataturk and Australia (including how Read more …
Noah Riseman and Richard Trembath’s Defending Country: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Military Service since 1945 (University of Queensland Press) is the first book to document the unique experiences of Indigenous men and women since the Second World War. It examines what motivated Indigenous people to sign up, their experiences of racism in the armed Read more …
Published today is Effie Karageorgos, Australian Soldiers in South Africa and Vietnam: Words from the Battlefield (Bloomsbury). It follows combat men from enlistment to the war front and analyses their words alongside theories of soldiering to demonstrate the transformation of soldiers as a response to developments in military procedure, as well as changing civilian opinion.
New on the Honest History website: a long essay on the battle by Vietnam veterans to have a new independent history written about health issues post-Vietnam, particularly the effects of Agent Orange an article by John Brookes on the links between nationalism and phenomena like Anzac an article by David Stephens, drawing upon recent Turkish Read more …
Brett Bowden has just published a new book on the 1942 bombing of Darwin, Direct Hit: The Bombing of Darwin Post Office (Rosenberg Publishing) that reveals the bravery and resourcefulness of PMG staff and other civilians at the affected site where the Overland Telegraph met the undersea cable which linked Australia to the rest of Read more …
Noah Riseman’s book In Defence of Country: Life Stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Servicemen and Women (ANU Press and Aboriginal History Inc.) presents life stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ex-servicemen and women who served in the Australian Army, Navy and Air Force after the Second World War and highlight the many Read more …
In their latest newsletter Honest History: talks to Australian of the Year, David Morrison, about a song that he commissioned (‘On every Anzac Day’ by John Schumann) and discusses what the song signifies for recognition of Indigenous service both in and out of the Queen’s uniform; finds that ‘real’ visitor numbers to the Australian War Read more …
Volume 10 number 2 of the National Museum of Australia’s journal has contributions by Jan Brazier (Macleay Museum) and Molly Duggins (National Art School) on the production history and aesthetics of biological models and wall charts; and by Peter Brett (University of Tasmania) on the pedagogical challenges and opportunities afforded by Home Hill house museum, Read more …