Welcome! I am a historian at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. I specialize in the history of the eighteenth-century world, particularly the British Empire and the many indigenous societies it encountered. I also have interests in visual history, anthropological history, experimental uses of biography, and issues surrounding higher education and the humanities. On this site you’ll find links to my historical writing, reflections on my historical reading, and discussions of various historical engagements (oh, and an unlikely page on swimming).
Recent Posts
Chatting with Christine Anu
Well, this was a highlight—chatting with a pop star I admired hugely back in the day now turned ABC radio host, who I also follow keenly now, Christine Anu. She had me on her ‘Black Life, Matters’ evening show in May 2020, discussing some of the Indigenous stories to gain some light last week through … Continue reading Chatting with Christine Anu
Cook’s Islander Shipmates
For the inevitable Cook250 fest in April-May 2020, Australia’s The Conversation commissioned nearly 20 articles highlighting revisionist research on Cook. My bit was on Cook’s little-noticed Islander shipmates: https://theconversation.com/the-stories-of-tupaia-and-omai-and-their-vital-role-as-captain-cooks-unsung-shipmates-126674
Chatting on community radio
With the new book out, I’m chatting a lot more about history. Here’s a little Sunday morning segment on why I am a historian, the book, and an upcoming Bennelong podcast: thanks to Sydney’s favourite community radio, 2SER, for having me along (2nd Feb. 2020): click here for the link: https://2ser.com/the-warrior-the-voyager-and-the-artist/
If the IPA video on Enlightenment in Australia had included more historians
Tamson provoked me with this recent 14-min video from the IPA. Bella: If you were starting a new society, how would you do it? How would you decide the government you wanted, the type of legal system you wanted to put in place and how to create wealth in your new society? The early Australian … Continue reading If the IPA video on Enlightenment in Australia had included more historians
