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Loading... This Whispering in Our Heartsby Henry Reynolds
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A different history of Australia through the eyes of remarkable and largely forgotten people No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)323.119915Social sciences Political Science Civil and political rights Minority Politics Specific Groups Biography And History Pacific OriginLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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If Reynolds had been writing about the Norman Conquest of England this might have passed for a historian simply filling in the gaps of history - after all it would be interesting to know if anyone amongst the Norman elite had misgivings about the 'Harrying of the North' (well yes, apparently...). But Reynolds was writing at a time (1998) when the question of reconciliation between 'white' and 'black' Australia was still stuck fast in prejudice. Many Australians believed that there was nothing to reconcile, nothing was owed to the indigenous people and no (substantial) wrong had ever been done to them. The leader of the Australian Government decried those who drew attention to historic instances of less than perfect behavior as 'black armband historians' who should better spend their efforts looking at the good things that were achieved. This was the same Government that spent millions of dollars boosting the story of ANZAC, the failed attempt by (largely 'white') Australians to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula (present day Turkey) in 1915. Some history was important to remember, and other 'histories' were a waste of time and unhelpful. Apparently.
Reynolds with this publication set off what are called in Australia, the 'History Wars'. Contending (and contentious) books, articles, lectures, demonstrations and films were produced, and a few legal battles fought. The (perceived) suggestion that early Australian settlers had massacred the indigenous population in an unequal contest between guns and spears sat uncomfortably with the liberal, egalitarian Australian tradition. But as a great many sought to disparage the argument and discount the evidence, others rushed to embrace it - with both sides displaying more enthusiasm than critical judgment. In the end, the whole debate is an interesting insight into the role history plays in current opinion, and most acutely, how people fail to understand the process and the limits of historical analysis.
As for 'This Whispering...' it is the first book in this debate, and gives a reasonably good account of the activities of these early humanists and their perception of the mistreatment of Australia's indigenous people, and of the 'white' society's perception of these 'meddlers'. Newspapers in the 19th Century were very keen to air arguments on both sides of the debate and were a rich mine of quite forthright opinion that Reynolds quotes extensively. What Reynolds doesn't make entirely clear (and perhaps not anticipating the blow torch that would be directed towards his book) is that he is presenting the debate and the opinions and assertions that were made at the time. It is a reflection on historical characters and opinion, rather being the last word in the 'facts of the matter'.
He mentions how difficult it is to establish 'facts' in a conflict that occurred at remote frontiers between an indigenous people who had no writing or access to media, and a 'white' society that clearly knew that it's attitudes (and alleged conduct) would not be well received in 'more civilized' parts of Australia and in the UK. One side couldn't write about what happened, and the other side had reasons not to speak about it openly.
But even with these limitations, Reynolds points out that there's a lot of smoke, and maybe, or maybe there isn't, a fire somewhere. The point of his book is that the public (at the time of publication) was largely unaware that this debate had ever occurred - that these humanists had ever existed. Australian's had forgotten that there had been any smoke in the first place. There had been a great 'forgetting'. Reynolds intention was to throw this back into focus.
Another problem in the reception of this book was that some folk didn't appreciate that Reynolds looks at the entire (and very extensive) historical debate about the proper attitude and relationship between 'white' and 'black' Australia, and chooses to write about only one (relatively small) part of it. The entire debate encompasses questions of reconciliation, separate identity and assimilation. But Reynolds limits himself (in this book) to writing about the notion (and possibly practice) of extermination and exploitation. There's no fault in this, a book is always about something, and never about everything, and Reynolds wasn't obliged to spell this out for his critics.
Now, my own criticism of this book is that Reynolds starts on page one with some assertions regarding a punitive expedition launched against the local indigenous population at the behest of the first Governor of Australia in 1790. Page one is a bad place to come adrift, but there is an excellent account of this expedition by the man who was charged with conducting it (Watkin Tench), and his account ('A Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson in New South Wales', Chapter 12) differs quite significantly from the one Reynolds quotes. Reynolds apparently looked up the official (but rather dry and sanitised) Government archives from that time and missed out on Tench's extremely nuanced and perceptive account of European and indigenous relations. I'd recommend Tench's books (collected together in one volume 'Sydney's First Four Years') to anyone with an interest in Australian history. Having got past this glitch on page one, the remainder of the book seems to quote sources fairly and accurately.
I'd rate this book more highly except that the glitch on page one rattled me. In other reviews I have rated a book highly because it inspires the reader to seek out other excellent texts that follow on from it. I feel slightly differently about this book. It doesn't so much inspire as require the reader to do further reading if they want to get closer to an understanding of what was really going on. Speaking of further reading; if Reynold's account leaves the reader unsure who is telling the truth about extermination and exploitation, perhaps the very well documented history of kidnapping and enslaving South Pacific islanders to work on sugar plantations in Queensland in the 1800's might shed some light on contemporary attitudes, and practice. ( )