Why is the Confederate flag so offensive?

Why is the Confederate flag so offensive?

Clare Corbould, Deakin University Most Australians — aside from a few groups dedicated to reenacting American Civil War battles and history buffs including Bob Carr and Kim Beazley — were not familiar until recently with the charged history of the flag of the Confederate States of America. Now the flag is in the Australian news […]
What Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods gets wrong about veterans returning to Vietnam

What Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods gets wrong about veterans returning to Vietnam

  Netflix Mia Martin Hobbs, University of Melbourne Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, out now on Netflix, tells the story of five Black US veterans who return to Vietnam to hunt for gold and recover the remains of their lost squad leader. Beginning with the reunion of five old “Bloods”, and peppered with flashbacks to […]
Vaccine, Cure and Trust: COVID-19 and Those People in White Coats

Vaccine, Cure and Trust: COVID-19 and Those People in White Coats

‘Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’ The White Queen in Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There (1871).   I write as confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus in Victoria have risen sharply, dashing the hopes of the more optimistic that the epidemic had peaked in Australia.  […]
When black lives really did not matter

When black lives really did not matter

Edward Colston had some estimable virtues, as his philanthropic gifts to making Bristol a better town suggests. But those virtues were based on a vice we no longer find bearable. He got his money from participating in the slave trade. It is right that his statue has been torn down. The commentary about him, however, […]
The fury in US cities is rooted in a long history of racist policing, violence and inequality

The fury in US cities is rooted in a long history of racist policing, violence and inequality

  Omer Messinger/Sipa USA Clare Corbould, Deakin University The protests that have engulfed American cities in the past week are rooted in decades of frustrations. Racist policing, legal and extra-legal discrimination, exclusion from the major avenues of wealth creation and vicious stereotyping have long histories and endure today. African Americans have protested against these injustices […]
Ever-present possibilities and the status quo.

Ever-present possibilities and the status quo.

This piece is part of the Urgent Histories forum which has been organised by the Australian Historical Association. Klaus Neumann has written an engaging response to the articles in this forum, which can be found in History Australia. Humankind needs to tackle climate change. Urgently. Historians may want to reconsider their professional practices in light of this […]
Urgent histories and making decisions.

Urgent histories and making decisions.

This piece is part of the Urgent Histories forum which has been organised by the Australian Historical Association. David Lowe and James Walter have responded thoughtfully to the articles in this forum, which can be found in History Australia. Together, these essays make a powerful case for historians helping our publics think about temporal argument. […]
The Singapore Bureau: lessons from Asia’s first early warning system for epidemic diseases

The Singapore Bureau: lessons from Asia’s first early warning system for epidemic diseases

This piece, written by Dr Stefen Hell, was originally published on the New Mandala website and is republished with the permission of the author and New Mandala. International arrangements to collect and distribute information on epidemic diseases are crucial in times of pandemics, because pathogens ignore borders, political order and economic status. Today states have […]
What does the Pell verdict mean for child sexual abuse victims?

What does the Pell verdict mean for child sexual abuse victims?

What does the High Court’s unanimous verdict upholding George Pell’s appeal against his conviction mean for the complainant, who was found to be a credible witness? How well does the criminal justice system serve those who suffer sexual abuse as children, asks Matthew Ricketson?   There is a famous legal principle, usually attributed to eighteenth-century […]
Three Cheers for Hunter-Gatherers

Three Cheers for Hunter-Gatherers

In May 2019 an article in the Australian edition of the Guardian discussed the extraordinary public endorsement of Bruce Pascoe’s book, Dark Emu, which was originally published in March 2014.  After a slow start its reputation and sales grew.  By the time the Guardian included Dark Emu in its ‘series of literary highlights’, The Unmissables, […]
The Recovery: Technology and Society

The Recovery: Technology and Society

During the CV-19 pandemic, the use of Information Technology has enabled millions to work from home and gain some relief from social isolation while avoiding potential exposure to the virus. After the crisis has passed, however, Australian society will need to reflect carefully about its digital interactions and how best to balance them with wider […]
Reviewing skills and knowledge: will the digital age mean a break with the past?

Reviewing skills and knowledge: will the digital age mean a break with the past?

By Francesca Beddie Technological change is forever challenging traditional approaches to education and training. Nevertheless, my review of a collection of landmark reports on vocational education and training published since the 1960s and collated in the VOCED plus database shows that some of the solutions remain the same: give students a strong secondary education so […]