Colonial Histories, Reflection and Editorial

The British Empire was established on the back of pirates who enriched the Crown with Spanish treasure that funded the expansion of the Royal Navy.

The French were exploring Australia’s coastline at the same time as the British, but a number of obstacles and different priorities saw the British establish Antipodean colonies.

Bungaree does not appear in official records, but Flinders’ journal reveals he was essential to the successful circumnavigation of Australia.

Compensation awarded to British slave-owners under the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 enabled them to redirect their Atlantic assets and practices to Australia’s burgeoning settler colonies.

An extinction narrative created by nineteenth century colonists in Tasmania was maintained into the 1970s through media narratives of Truganini as the last of Tasmania’s Aboriginal people.

At least nine ideas need to be considered when understanding the impact of colonisation on Australia’s environment.

Coronial investigations into maternal deaths are a window into the private realm of childbirth in colonial Australia, a period in which regulation did not apply to the work or the people who performed it. These records also have a broader application for studying aspects of colonial life.

Company men sought to extend their influence in India and the Dutch East Indies by establishing families with elite local women.

Over a period of 300 years, southern kings in the Nile Valley gradually took over Lower Egypt so they could rule the whole of Egypt.

The location of significant public facilities in Melbourne’s ‘Hoddle Grid’ deliberately imposes representations of colonial power from the Ancient Roman empire onto the lands of the Kulin Nations.

The prospect of teaching contested colonial histories can be daunting, but a balance of teaching strategies and awareness of potential pitfalls can lead to some of the most stimulating moments in the classroom.

The National Gallery of Victoria has developed learning resources and programs that connect key historical events in Australian history with artworks, artefacts and cultural material.

A Thanksgiving feast in the classroom is a memorable way for students to immerse themselves in the colonisation of North America by the Pilgrims.

The naming of features within the Australian landscape is an act of colonial possession that has silenced and ignored Indigenous knowledge and presence within the Australian landscape.

Book reviews.