I have reported a number of keynote presentations from the annual conference of the Australian Historical Association this week, but my representation of the conference would be lacking if I did not report the humour that popped up throughout the five days in Canberra. The conference theme, ‘The Scales of HIstory’, lent itself to some light-hearted quips. Of course there were … [Read more...] about A Lighter Look at #OzHA2018
Behind the Scenes at #OzHA2018
This week I have given you some snippets from the fabulous program at this year’s Australian Historical Association conference, known on Twitter as #OzHA2018. But while it is important, it is not just the program that makes a conference enjoyable. There are two other factors in a successful conference – the manner in which it is organised and administered, and the attitude and … [Read more...] about Behind the Scenes at #OzHA2018
‘Decentring Australia’ in the History of Convict Transportation
When considering the history of the transportation of convicts we should ‘de-centre’ Australia and consider Empire-wide transportation argued Professor Clare Anderson in her keynote talk yesterday morning. Anderson moved from the story of the Bussa Uprising in Barbados in 1816 to Sierra Leone and then to British Guiana deftly working in the story of convict transportation … [Read more...] about ‘Decentring Australia’ in the History of Convict Transportation
Some Incomplete Thoughts on the Scale of History – Part 1
‘The Scale of History’ is the theme of this year’s Australian Historical Association conference which is taking place this week in Canberra. It was the theme of the conference which enticed me to take time off work to come to chilly Canberra. Half-way through the conference it is time to take time to consider what I have heard about the ‘scale of history’ this week. I have … [Read more...] about Some Incomplete Thoughts on the Scale of History – Part 1
War, Masculinity and Belief – day 2, Australian Historical Association Conference
At the end of the day I sat down to write up a post about the sessions I had listened to at the Australian Historical Association conference but I struggled to find a common theme in all of them on which I could develop a coherent post. But of course, I chose these sessions because they all said something about my current interests in war, masculinity and belief. I heard some … [Read more...] about War, Masculinity and Belief – day 2, Australian Historical Association Conference