The Writing of Australian History (HIST90023)

This subject is a detailed introduction to Australian historiography. Students will consider the principal forms of the literature and the chief schools of interpretation, from the establishment of Australian history as an academic discipline to the present. It will engage with some of the principal publications of leading historians, from the founders of the discipline through to new histories including feminist, local, Indigenous, environmental and popular perspectives. Their work will be read in its cultural, intellectual and political context to explore the materials they employed and the methods they used. Particular attention will be given to the critical assessment of historical argument. Students will extend their knowledge of the patterns of Australian historical scholarship and develop a capacity for historiographical analysis. They will apply these skills to case studies of leading Australian historians, and to their own historical scholarship. As a seminar on writing, it will also be concerned with history’s craft, including a practical focus on the art of writing. Students will reflect on the work of a wide range of Australian historians to explore good writing styles and strategies.