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
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
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/
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
This summer, as the State Library celebrates its new permanent exhibition of paintings — many from the early days of the colony — the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra is rejigging its own ‘early Australian’ rooms. Its Robert Oatley Gallery usually presents the faces of our so-called Founding Fathers, with James Cook taking centre stage … Continue reading Three Portraits in the State Library of NSW
A little booster I wrote for our exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery last summer (only now online). Includes cartoon image of me at end as well! "The National Portrait Gallery rehangs its permanent galleries at least twice a year. This summer, the Robert Oatley gallery, which typically displays the ‘earliest works from the NPG … Continue reading Rethinking Foundational Histories
A Lecture for the Kaldor Art Project 2018: Anri Sala I just noticed that a mini-lecture I did for this fabulous Art Group is up on vimeo. We were all given a brief to help explicate the art work for that year, Anri Sala's intriguing meditation on the so-called clash of Enlightenment (represented in Mozart's … Continue reading Colonialism and the Age of Enlightenment
I had a lot of fun doing this podcast with my friend Peter Moore. He came up with the idea for this series for the well-known British magazine, History Today. I was thrilled to be the third cab off the ranks after guests such as Michael Palin; apparently Simon Schaffer is up next. Peter's idea was … Continue reading Travels Through Time: 1776
Over on my other website, you'll find updates on this collaborative project with the National Portrait Gallery. Currently on show is the first exhibition from our endeavours: Facing New Worlds in the Robert Oatley Gallery. Get along to see it before April 2019! (Click this post heading to get hyperlinks.)
I was pleased to contribute to this collective response to the ministerial intervention into 2018's Australian Research Council grants. My bit below; published in the November issue of the Australian Book Review: "In the ongoing furore around revelations of ministerial research grant vetoes, two things are in danger of slipping from view. One is that … Continue reading Discrimination and Gaslighting in the 2018 ARC Controversy
Kate Fullagar 