by Dr Joy McCann, Visiting Fellow, School of History, Australian National University… The central theme explored at the recent annual conference of the Australian Historical Association was ‘The Scale of History’. The organisers asked participants to consider how questions of scale—temporal, geographical, social, archival—influence their research. The theme resonated strongly with me, having recently … Read more
by Peter Hobbins … I was a reluctant adopter of social media, and have in fact given presentations entitled ‘the sceptic’s guide to Twitter’. Since sending my first tweet in 2014 (https://twitter.com/history2wheeler), however, I’ve come to appreciate the platform’s value in sharing information, building networks and serendipitously encountering all manner of unexpected content. Over … Read more
…by Francesca Beddie The PHA NSW & ACT established the Public History Prize to encourage the application of historical practice to real-world issues. This year the essays we received were diverse: one considered the heritage significance of graffiti, several looked at gender in the war and interwar years, another discussed Ernest Titterton and two … Read more
… Francesca Beddie visits Trier The bicentenary of Karl Marx’s birth is being celebrated with gusto in the town where he was born on 5 May 1818. Trier is festooned with his portrait, the one taken in 1875 of the white haired, woolly bearded man we have come to know as the father of … Read more
… by Marc Rerceretnam Social sports have always brought life to public spaces and our cities. For many people, sport is a crucial way to develop and maintain a sense of belonging. Sporting activities have also helped socialise communities. In a similar way, sporting clubs have traditionally been a positive force for social cohesion within … Read more
… by Francesca Beddie ‘War commemoration is now a modern industry tied to family, nation and the emotional life, and Villers-Bretonneux is a measure of its cosmopolitanism. Small parts of the world belong to Australia by dint of commemorative grant, by blood, by graveyards.’ So writes The Australian’s editor-at-large Paul Kelly ahead of the centenary of … Read more
Martina Muller recently set up her own business, Storialines. Storialines provides historical research and interpretation services to the heritage sector, local councils and other clients in Greater Sydney and New South Wales. Martina also works as a historian at a heritage consultancy firm in Sydney. What made you decide to pursue a career in history? I never … Read more
… Naomi Malone is a consulting historian, currently interested in Australian history and in doing oral history. She is also undertaking communications and events work for the PHA (NSW & ACT). What made you decide to pursue a career in history? I love history! The challenge of delving into the past to tell informed stories … Read more
… by Francesca Beddie and Minna Muhlen-Schulte, Public History Prize officer, who can be contacted at <prizeofficer.phanswact@gmail.com>. Last year ABC Radio National did a program about art prizes. Are they worth the effort? As the introduction to the discussion answered: They might prove welcome cash to impoverished artists but they dash the hopes of … Read more
… by Peter Hobbins One of the great joys in writing history lies in making myself perennially uncomfortable. Nowhere is this more true than when employing that vexed verb ‘imagine’. I was trained as an empiricist. I have an honours degree in science, earned by killing multitudes of small creatures. It explains why I … Read more