'After more than a century of British colonialism, Australia as it is now known to the world came into being with the 1 January 1901 Act of Federation. This Act united the six, separate self-governing British colonies on the Australian landmass under one central government, and within a year, the new parliament passed the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, more commonly known as the White Australia Policy. This policy ensured that only white Europeans would be allowed to immigrate to the new country, while empowering the state to deport existing non-white immigrants.' (Introduction)
'Australian writer Frederic Manning wrote what many considered to be the best narrative of the Great War. For Ernest Hemingway, The Middle Parts of Fortune was the ‘finest and noblest book of men in war’, period. It’s a bold and arresting claim that calls for a quick look, if not a deeper dive, into Manning’s enigmatic life and work. This is particularly pertinent in light of the centenary of the Armistice this month.' (Introduction)
'Billy Griffiths relates an encounter in Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient Australia(Black Inc., 2018) that I think is representative of this readable, journalistic book about the history of Australian archaeology. Driving towards Lake Mungo, Griffiths is guided by Daryl Pappin, a Mutthi Mutthi man. They are discussing the effect of the archaeological ‘discoveries’ in the area and Griffiths tries to draw Pappin into celebrating this new knowledge, and what it means for Indigenous antiquity...' (Introduction)
