Sense & Nonsense in Australian History

Sense & Nonsense in Australian History PDF Author: John Hirst
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1458798577
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 422

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Book Description
Sense and Nonsense in Australian History represents a lifetime's original reflection by Australia's most innovative and penetrating historian. Included here are classic essays on the pioneer legend, Australian egalitarianism and colonial culture. There are celebrated critiques of The Tyranny of Distance, multiculturalism and nationalistic history, as well as a substantial essay on Aboriginal dispossession and the history wars. In Sense and Nonsense in Australian History, John Hirst overturns familiar conceptions and deepens our sense of Australia's development from convict society to distinctive democracy.

Sense and nonsense in Australian history

Sense and nonsense in Australian history PDF Author: John Bradley Hirst
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Australian history
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description


Sense and Nonsense in Australian History

Sense and Nonsense in Australian History PDF Author: John Hirst
Publisher: Black Incorporated Agenda
ISBN: 9780977594931
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
Although a self-proclaimed conservative, Hirst's work has received high praise from historians ranging from Don Watson to Stuart MacIntyre. This book collects key pieces on convict society, the pioneer legend, Australian egalitarianism, the republican movement and more.

Australian History in 7 Questions

Australian History in 7 Questions PDF Author: John Hirst
Publisher: Black Inc.
ISBN: 1922231703
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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Book Description
If there are genuine questions about Australian history, there is something to puzzle over. The history ceases to be predictable—and dull. From the author of The Shortest History of Europe, acclaimed historian John Hirst, comes this fresh and stimulating approach to understanding Australia's past and present. Hirst asks and answers questions that get to the heart of Australia's history: Why did Aborigines not become farmers? How did a penal colony change peacefully to a democracy? Why was Australia so prosperous so early? Why did the Australian colonies federate? What effect did convict origins have on national character? Why was the postwar migration programme a success? Why is Australia not a republic? Engaging and enjoyable, and written for the novice and the expert alike, Australian History in 7 Questions explains how we became the nation we are today. ‘If you don't always agree with the answers, you will certainly acquire a renewed interest in the questions. This, surely, is the highest hope of good history.’ —Saturday Paper ‘An excellent tool for provoking debate’ —Age ‘An intriguing approach’ —West Weekend Magazine ‘With trademark clarity and insight, Hirst manages to touch every cornerstone of Australia’s past ... every Australian should read this book.’ —Monthly ‘Thought provoking’ —Daily Telegraph ‘Instructively provocative’ —Burnie Advocate ‘Australian History in 7 Questions is a lively and exciting book, showing the skills of a professional historian and social commentator ... Anyone would benefit from reading this erudite short book.’ —Australian Journal of Politics and History John Hirst was a member of the History Department at La Trobe University from 1968 to 2007. He has written many books on Australian history, including Convict Society and Its Enemies, The Strange Birth of Colonial Democracy, The Sentimental Nation, Sense and Nonsense in Australian History and The Shortest History of Europe.

The Australians

The Australians PDF Author: John Hirst
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1458762963
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
Is there an Australian national character? What are its distinguishing features? Over the years, how have insiders and outsiders summed up this country and its people, and how have Australians responded to outside criticism? In The Australians, John Hirst gathers together the key assessments of the national character, on topics as diverse as sport, war, mateship, humour, put-downs, suburbia and going native. There is celebration and criticism. There is humour and insight. There is the difference between what Australians think of themselves and what they are really like. Contributors include Winston Churchill, Ned Kelly, Tim Flannery, Henry Lawson, Peter Cosgrove, Germaine Greer, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Captain James Cook, David Malouf, Mark Twain, H.G. Wells, Patrick White, Oscar Wilde and Tim Winton.

Looking for Australia

Looking for Australia PDF Author: John Hirst
Publisher: Black Inc.
ISBN: 1921866543
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
What are the qualities at the heart of Australian culture? How did they arise? What distinguishes us from other nations beyond a fondness for calling each other ‘mate’? And what do such national quirks reveal about our society, our past and our attitudes towards it? Looking for Australia is a fascinating collection of essays by historian John Hirst. Together they form a multi-faceted portrait of Australia as a distinctive nation, with its own political culture, character and style, and particular ways of seeing itself. Among other subjects, Hirst considers the effects of convict origins on national character, what drove the bushrangers to their daring deeds, and why Australia has compulsory voting. He examines whether Aborigines played a part in the origins of Australian Rules football, and asks whether Curtin was indeed our greatest prime minister. He discusses how best to tell Australia’s history, and, after reflecting on our past as a British dependency, makes a stirring case for a future, fully independent republic. “He brings a critical, discerning eye to all aspects of Australian history...incisive and compelling” - the Courier Mail “A powerful controversialist … a brilliant historian”—Australian Book Review “This is a brilliant book.” - the Mercury “Hirst’s genius and sincerity shine through, and his easy prose combined with his unorthodox views make for compelling reading.” – Canberra Times “highly recommended” - Bookseller+Publisher “exceptionally subtle and meticulous” - Sydney Morning Herald

Looking for Australia

Looking for Australia PDF Author: John Bradley Hirst
Publisher: Black Inc.
ISBN: 9781863954860
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
In these enthralling essays, John Hirst considers whether Curtin was indeed Australia's greatest prime minister, examines the origins of Aussie Rules, tells the story of how Australia introduced the secret ballot, selects the best Australian history books, and much more. This new book is a companion and successor to the best-selling Sense & Nonsense in Australian History

Freedom on the Fatal Shore

Freedom on the Fatal Shore PDF Author: John Hirst
Publisher: Black Inc.
ISBN: 1921866322
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 784

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Book Description
Freedom on the Fatal Shore brings together John Hirst's two books on the early history of New South Wales. Both are classic accounts which have had a profound effect on the understanding of our history. This combined edition includes a new foreword by the author. Convicts with their "own time", convicts with legal rights, convicts making money, convicts getting drunk - what sort of prison was this? Hirst describes how the convict colony actually worked and how Australian democracy came into being, despite the opposition of the most powerful. He writes: "This was not a society that had to become free; its freedoms were well established from the earliest times." “Colonial Australia was a more ‘normal’ place than one might imagine from the folkloric picture of society governed by the lash and the triangle, composed of groaning white slaves tyrannised by ruthless masters. The book that best conveys this and has rightly become a landmark in recent studies of the System is J.B. Hirst’s Convict Society and Its Enemies.” —Robert Hughes, The Fatal Shore “Anyone with an interest in Australian political culture will find The Strange Birth of Colonial Democracy invaluable.” —Professor Colin Hughes, former Electoral Commissioner for the Commonwealth

The Australians

The Australians PDF Author: John Bradley Hirst
Publisher: Black Incorporated
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
In this fascinating collection, John Hirst has assembled the key assessments of the national character of Australia and Australians. There are insiders and outsiders. There is celebration and criticism. There is the difference between what Australians think of themselves and what they are really like. Hirst provides a set of dazzling introductory essays to accompany his selections. Contributors include Winston Churchill, Tim Flannery, Carmen Lawrence, Charles Dickens, Captain James Cook, Barry Humphries, H.G. Wells, Peter Cosgrove, and many, many more.

Historical Dictionary of Australia

Historical Dictionary of Australia PDF Author: Norman Abjorensen
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442245026
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 608

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Book Description
Australia’s development, from the most unpromising of beginnings as a British prison in 1788 to the prosperous liberal democracy of the present is as remarkable as is its success as a country of large-scale immigration. Since 1942 it has been a loyal ally of the United States and has demonstrated this loyalty by contributing troops to the war in Vietnam and by being part of the “coalition of the willing” in the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and in operations in Afghanistan. In recent years, it has also been more willing to promote peace and democracy in its Pacific and Asian neighbors. This fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of Australia covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Australia.