Footstepping to Federation

Abstract

On 1 January 1901, the first day of the twentieth century, the six colonies of Australia federated in Sydney to become a single united country. On 9 May of the same year this symbolic inauguration became a practical reality when the first Federal Parliament was opened in the Melbourne Exhibition Building. Both these significant events were accompanied by equally significant processions through the two respective colonial, then state capital cities. Much has been written about the kind of country Australia was at the time of Federation and what manner of nation Australia consciously and subconsciously intended to become. However, our appreciation and understanding of these issues today tends to be determined, as do most historical studies, by an analysis of the written documents of the day, and subsequent written academic commentary. I would contend that such texts have, to some degree, always been restricted by the social and cultural limitations of the written documentary process, of those writing the work, and even the social and cultural limitations of those for whom such work is intended. Is it possible therefore, to analyse historical events by utilising other methodologies; other research materials and other approaches in collating evidence? And will such processes provide new insights, or simply re-iterate what has gone before? To this end I have adapted the techniques of Richard Holmes’ footstepping and Gilbert Ryle’s and Clifford Geertz’s thick description to undertake such an evaluation by retracing the routes of these two principal Federation parades and recording what additional evidence could be gained. This methodology has comprised a visual description and interpretation of the routes of the two Federation processions through the cities by referencing back to both the written record of the day through the press, and general historical commentary on these cities’ culture and society of the time. The primarily visual aspect of my analysis has been supplemented by a visual photographic documentation that provides both an historical record of the sites and locations along the parade routes as well as an added source of interpretation of the Federation process. Through this process, I have analysed the concept of national identity and the imagined Australian community as it was expressed at this specific period of Australia’s history. Finally, I have evaluated this methodology itself to determine the degree to which these techniques are a valid means of translating to the wider sphere of general historical research. Are footstepping and thick description effective processes for researching other previously inaccessible sources of historical evidence?