num_pages: 417
description: A few years ago Anna Clark saw a series of paintings on a sandstone cliff face in the Northern Territory. There were characteristic crosshatched images of fat barramundi and turtles, as well as sprayed handprints and several human figures bearing spears. Next to them was a long gun, painted with white ochre, an unmistakable image of the colonisers. Was this an Indigenous rendering of contact? A work of history?Each piece of history has a message and context that depends on who wrote it and when. Australia's national story has swirled and contorted over the years, showing that history isn't just about understanding what happened and why. It also reflects the persuasions, politics and prejudices of its authors.Each new wave of historians asks its own questions and produces its own narratives of the past. Making Australian History tells the story of successive generations of history-makers. In doing so, it also tells a story of Australia itself.
language: English
title: Making Australian History
publisher: Penguin Random House Australia