Sunday 19 March 2023, 2 pm
at the Meeting Room, Queen Victoria Museum, Inveresk

Guest speaker Dr Nick Brodie

will present the thirty-fifth lecture on

 The Long Shadow of John West’s War

Abstract:

John West’s History of Tasmania occupies a significant place in the historiography of the Vandemonian War. While written well within living memory, West’s treatment of the conflict reflects the conventions and preoccupations of an extant body of Vandemonian literature. Intensely concerned with ethnography, nineteenth century histories tended to produce a familiar narrative frame with regard to matters Aboriginal. As such, like other contemporary texts, West’s history remains a problematic resource when mined by historians for historical data. This lecture delves into that conundrum, with an eye to the lingering effects of West’s account of the conflict.

Bio:

Dr Nick Brodie is the author of several history books, including 1787 and The Vandemonian War, as well as numerous peer reviewed articles and essays about Tasmania’s frontier history and historiography. He is presently the Dean of Academic Studies at Jane Franklin Hall.

All welcome

This is a free event for Launceston Historical Society members, visitors $4 

  Organised by the Launceston Historical Society in partnership with the QVMAG