Overview

This topic examines South Australia’s history through the concept of ‘reworlding’ to place South Australia with regional, national, and global perspectives. It asks: is South Australia truly distinctive? And was South Australia the cradle of democratic and land reform in the nation, as many claim? We will consider South Australia … For more content click the Read More button below. Using the approaches of regional, national, and transnational history the topic will evaluate the formation of South Australia as a colony, the idea of settlement based on Wakefield’s principles, and the violent frontier wars in South Australia between settlers and Indigenous peoples. The topic will assess South Australia within the Australian federation, addressing questions of democracy, race, gender, and rights; the vote and the women’s suffrage; the entwined forces of immigration and colonisation; South Australians at war and on the home front; nuclear testing during the Cold War; the sexual revolution and the Dunstan era of reform, and a number of landmark acts that put South Australia on the map, and South Australia in the historical and literary imagination. Rich historical source materials will be used including archives, texts, artwork, and film. The topic introduces students to primary historical research, critical methodologies, and encourages them to follow their own interests in learning activities and assessment.

Aims

This topic supports students to:

  • Develop an understanding of South Australia's distinctive social and political history within regional, national, and global frameworks
  • Evaluate a range of rich historical sources including archives, text, artwork, and film relating to South Australian history and demonstrate familiarity with relevant scholarly perspectives
  • Critically assess South Australian history through a range of critical methodologies, and intersectional analysis (gender, ethnicity, class, and sexuality)
  • Develop their research, analysis, and communication skills, and encourage them to be independent learners with collaborative capacity