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In this episode of History Now, Livia Rezende and Isabel Rousset explore the ways in which international exchange and transcultural connections inform design and visual histories.

History Now seminars explore current and compelling issues affecting the practice of contemporary history. It is a long-running series of public talks and discussions, bringing new perspectives to all aspects of historical practice. This year History Now is a collaboration between the History Council of NSW (HCNSW), the State Library of NSW and the Australian Centre for Public History (ACPH) at UTS. History Now 2024 is programmed by Jesse Adams Stein (Vice President of HCNSW / Member of ACPH).

Dr Isabel Rousset is an architectural historian and a Research Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Her research explores historical cross-sections between art, architecture, and politics. Her book The Architecture of Social Reform: Housing, Tradition and German Modernism was recently published by Manchester University Press and explores how the past was used to shape debates on housing design in modern Germany. Her current research project at UTS explores the experiences and impact of Central European migrant architects in Australia.

Dr Livia Rezende, SFHEA, has a PhD in History of Design, is Senior Lecturer and Postgraduate Research Coordinator at UNSW Art & Design, Sydney. Her current research project examines the formation of transnational networks that led to the institutionalisation of modern design in Latin America during the Cold War. Her previous research discussed national identity formation and raw material displays in nineteenth-century International Exhibitions, Expositions Universelles and World’s Fairs. Dr Rezende’s work have been published in Design & Displacement (Routledge, 2023), Building-Object(2022), Schools of Departure (Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, 2022), and various academic journals. She serves as Book Series Editor for the Manchester University Press and Editor for the Journal of Design History.

Dr Jesse Adams Stein is a Senior Lecturer and ARC DECRA Fellow at UTS School of Design. She is an interdisciplinary design researcher whose work explores less popular and hidden sides of design, such as industrial craft, repair, small-scale manufacturing and human labour, in both historical and contemporary contexts. Stein is the author of Hot Metal (Manchester 2016) and Industrial Craft in Australia (Palgrave 2021). With Dr Chantel Carr, Stein was founder and organiser of the interdisciplinary 2023 symposium All Hands on Deck, which led to the development of two scholarly book collections (edited with Carr), Designing through Planetary Breakdown and Working through Planetary Breakdown (both Routledge, forthcoming). Stein is deeply involved in the Australian history sector, as an oral historian, as Vice President of the History Council of NSW, and as 2024 Program Director of the history talk series, History Now.

Recording date: 7 August 2024.

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This lecture is the first online offering of the 2024 First Nations Stories Series, facilitated by the History Council of New South Wales' Project Officer for First Nations' Histories. For more information about the HCNSW First Nations programs, please see our website: https://historycouncilnsw.org.au/abou...

"History and Memory: Oral Histories and the Science of the Dreaming
The power of recall in oral societies is phenomenal … but many scientists have only just started to understand this and think about its implications. In Australia, some of the stories that have been told longest are about ocean rise after the last ice age and the effects of volcanic eruptions, both topics which are covered in this talk.

Geologist and climate scientist, Patrick Nunn, Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast, has written extensively about how many ‘myths and legends’ are not fictions but culturally-filtered memories."

Many thanks for Patrick for sharing his work and his insights. For more information about Patrick's work, see his website: https://patricknunn.org/

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Credits:
- Music by licence with Canva: Ecg, Blackout Memories.
- Red dirt background by licence with Canva.
- All images and text in lecture slides supplied by Patrick Nunn.

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HCNSW Cultural Partners:
City of Sydney
Macquarie University, Faculty of Arts
Museums of History NSW
National Archives of Australia
Placemaking NSW
Reserve Bank of Australia
State Library of New South Wales
University of New England
University of Newcastle, School of HCISS
University of New South Wales, School of History & Philosophy
University of Technology Sydney, Australian Centre for Public History

The History Council of NSW is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

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In this panel, staged by the History Council of NSW at the 2024 Sydney Writers Festival, three award-winning Australian historians discuss the dual art of crafting histories and captivating narratives for diverse audiences.

Our authors, Dr Margaret Cook, Dr Shannyn Palmer and Nicole Cama, explore the dynamics of writing and presenting histories that respond to questions and ideas with relevance to national or local interest, as well as seeking to tell stories that resonate with larger audiences. Chaired by A/Prof Jan Láníček, the authors delve into the nuanced artistry required to bridge the gap between academic excellence and accessibility.

Our esteemed panelists share insights into their approaches, discussing the challenges of balancing scholarly integrity with storytelling prowess. They explore strategies for making complex historical contexts accessible without oversimplification and maintaining authenticity while appealing to diverse reader interests.

Panelists:

Dr. Margaret Cook

As an historian, Margaret Cook is fascinated by water and its interaction with humans, animals and the environment over time. She writes about climate-related disasters with a particular focus on rivers and floods and is the author of A River with a City Problem: A History of Brisbane Floods. Margaret is a Research Fellow at the Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University and La Trobe University.

Dr. Shannyn Palmer

Shannyn Palmer is a community-engaged practitioner, cultural consultant and award-winning writer. She works with cultural institutions and communities to facilitate ethical community engaged practice and enable meaningful intercultural collaborations. She is particularly interested in community engaged practice as a methodology for disrupting settler colonial systems and knowledge. She has a PhD in History from the Australian National University and her first book, Unmaking Angas Downs: Myth and History on a Central Australian Pastoral Station, won the 2023 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Australian History and the 2023 Northern Territory Chief Minister’s History Book Award.

Nicole Cama

Nicole Cama is an historian with the City of Sydney Council with experience in museums, heritage and public history. Her work has been published across a range of platforms including radio, websites, print publications, social media, mobile applications and exhibition displays. In 2023, she was awarded the History Council of NSW’s Macquarie University-PHA Applied History Award for her work, ‘Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst’, a digital history project mapping the people and places of the street from the 1840s to the 1940s using the City of Sydney Archives, produced for the Australian Centre for Public History, University of Technology Sydney.

Chair: Associate Professor Jan Láníček

Jan Láníček is Associate Professor in Modern European and Jewish History at UNSW Sydney. He received a PhD from the University of Southampton in Britain in 2011 and has published widely on the history of the Holocaust and Central Europe. He is currently completing a study of post-Holocaust judicial retribution in Czechoslovakia and also researches Jewish migration to Australia before World War II. Jan is also a member of the General Council of the History Council of New South Wales.

Thanks to the Sydney Writers Festival for enabling our participation in the festival, the State Library of NSW for providing the venue and audio recording services, and the NSW Government, through Create NSW for their funding support.

Music: Inspiring Classical by PineAppleMusic. License purchased from AudioJungle.

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Historians Professor Catharine Coleborne and Dr James Dunk discuss the depth of historical writing about mental illness in Australia and reflect on its resonance in the present moment; how can we write the history of mental health now?
Chair: Dr Effie Karageorgos

This event is held in partnership with the University of Newcastle’s Future of Madness Network.

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Reflecting on the enduring spirit of Aboriginal activism, today's episode is an homage to both the ancestors who fought for justice and the scholars like Emeritus Professor Lyndall Ryan who have chronicled their struggles. Coordinated by Jessie Adam-Stein and chaired by Dr. Cara Cross, this panel event from the History Now 2024 series, co-hosted with the History Council of New South Wales and the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS, dives into the depths of Aboriginal political histories. We pay our respects to the traditional landowners and explore how their political contributions have shaped our understanding of Australia's past and present, with a special acknowledgment of Emeritus Professor John Maynard's pioneering work.

The heart of our discussion beats to the rhythm of early 20th-century Aboriginal activism, where a gathering in Kempsey marked a turning point in the fight for equality. The voices of over 700 Aboriginal people and the manifesto of the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association (AAPA) resonate through time, as we recount their brave stance against oppression and the lasting impact of their actions—even through the Great Depression. Stories of personal sacrifice, like that of my grandfather, intertwine with these historical narratives, painting a rich tapestry of Aboriginal resilience and unyielding quest for justice.

As we close, the focus shifts to the fragmented journey of land restitution and the growth of Indigenous resistance that has radically influenced Australian politics. We remember the warriors like Windradyne and the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, leading up to the historic Aboriginal Land Rights Act Northern Territory of 1976, as milestones in the fight for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. These stories are not just history; they are the foundation upon which our ongoing struggle for rights and recognition is built, and they continue to inspire action and reflection in our shared journey towards a just future.

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Featuring Dr Hannah Forsyth & Dr Sophie Loy-Wilson.
Chair: Dr Mike Beggs. Series curated by Dr Jesse Adams Stein.

Hannah Forsyth and Sophie Loy-Wilson discuss the ways in which historicising capitalism is changing our approach to history in Australia.

History Now seminars explore current and compelling issues affecting the practice of contemporary history. It is a long-running series of public talks and discussions, bringing new perspectives to all aspects of historical practice. This year History Now is a collaboration between the History Council of NSW (HCNSW), the State Library of NSW and the Australian Centre for Public History (ACPH) at UTS.

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Professor Alison Bashford and Dr Jarrod Hore,
Chair: Dr Frances Flanagan

Alison Bashford and Jarrod Hore reflect on New Earth Histories and how the history of geosciences and different world cosmologies can be brought together.

History Now seminars explore current and compelling issues affecting the practice of contemporary history. It is a long-running series of public talks and discussions, bringing new perspectives to all aspects of historical practice.

In 2024, the series, curated and directed by Dr Jesse Adams Stein, is a partnership event between the History Council of NSW, the Australian Centre for Public History (UTS) and the State Library of NSW.

The History Council of NSW is supported by the NSW Government via a grant from Create NSW.

Support the show

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