OBJECT LESSONS: ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE IN AUSTRALIA
Edited by Jane Lydon and Tracy Ireland
Australian society increasingly tries to learn from its past, as it
comes to recognise how rich and complex that past has been, and the
ways that it continues to shape the present. In representing ourselves
we draw upon diverse aspects of the past, including the distinctiveness
of Aboriginal cultures, and the meaning and importance conferred upon
colonial places. We create a sense of emplacement and belonging within
these negotiated social spaces.
This book examines how we define ourselves through our concern with the
past: a series of case studies explores controversial places and themes
including Sydney's Conservatorium of Music site, Mawson's Huts in
Anatarctica, the search for the Endeavour, and the origins of the
'stolen generations'. Perhaps the greatest strength of this collection
is its emphasis on how Australians have cerated a sense of identity
through the idiosyncratic ways we engage with the material world. The
power of objects, places and landscape to focus emotion and define
world view is an explicit object of reflection and tells us about
ourselves: what we disagree over, what we care about, and who we are.
Published by Australian Scholarly Publishing P/L
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Price $AU 39.95
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Dr Alice Gorman
Honorary Research Fellow
School of Human and Environmental Studies
University of New England
Armidale NSW 2351
Australia
Space heritage: http://www.users.bigpond.com/zoharesque.htm
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