This unit offers a critical examination of Australian people and culture from the earliest days of European settlement until the federation of the colonies in 1901 and the introduction of the White Australia policy. It explores the economic, social and cultural impact of colonisation and emigration on both newcomers and indigenous people; looking also at conflict over access to land, mineral wealth, political power and the control of working conditions; contests over the definitions, benefits and limitations of citizenship and at the fate of the family. It will also examine how artists, novelists, film-makers, politicians and historians have pictured Australia's colonial past. -- Course Website
Instructor: Ruth Morgan
Prerequisites: A first year sequence in History or permission
