Preface: On ‘Exchanging histories’ [in] Aboriginal History Journal 30 (2006)

Abstract

Since WEH Starmer drew attention to the prevailing 'Great Australian Silence' in the late 1960s, it has been the subject of much historical commotion. Indeed, many non-Indigenous historians have been so focussed upon revising and interpreting the Indigenous 'silences' of the official archival records that they have not heard the racket being made by Indigenous artists, performers, biographers, poets, filmmakers and even footballers and their spectators. We welcome these voices, and timely discussions of them, into Aboriginal History, volume 30. This volume explores issues primarily relating to non-textual modes of Aboriginal historical practice. It is inspired by our Australian Research Council Project, 'Unsettling histories: Indigenous modes of historical practice', which aims to encourage an appreciation of Indigenous historical interpretations in a variety of formats. Show more