The First wave : Exploring Early Coastal Contact History In Australia

Gillian Dooley & Danielle Clode

ISBN 10: 174305615X / ISBN 13: 9781743056158

Published by Wakefield Press, Adelaide S.A, 2019

About this Item

Book condition is near fine. Soft cover. No dust jacket. Book boards clean. Book block clean. Spine intact. Text body clean. Over-all a great and neat copy of the book. See photo. he First Wave: Exploring Early Coastal Contact History in Australia is a compelling anthology edited by Gillian Dooley and Danielle Clode that reexamines the initial encounters between Indigenous Australians and European maritime explorers. Rather than presenting a conventional colonial narrative, the book offers a multifaceted exploration of these early coastal contacts through both scholarly research and creative expression. Key Themes and Insights: Indigenous Perspectives: The book foregrounds Indigenous cosmological views and agency, challenging the dominant Eurocentric lens of "discovery." Mutual Misunderstanding: It highlights how early interactions were often shaped by misinterpretations, whether peaceful or violent, due to vastly different worldviews. Creative Contributions: Includes poetry by Ali Cobby Eckermann and fiction by Kim Scott, which add emotional depth and cultural resonance to the historical analysis. Historical Vignettes: Peter Sutton s chapter explores a 1927 expedition involving Aboriginal and European women, using diaries and oral histories to reconstruct their journey. Chester Schultz s biography of Kalungku reveals the harrowing experiences of an Aboriginal woman kidnapped across multiple regions, offering rare insight into Indigenous women's lives on the maritime frontier. Why It Matters: This anthology is not just a historical account it's a re-visioning of Australia's colonial past. It invites readers to reflect on the psychological and cultural impact of first contact and the ongoing legacy of colonization. As one reviewer put it, This book matters, because it helps Australians grapple with their national identity and historical memory. Extra charges for over-sea shipping due to weight exceed 500gram. Actual weight 0.950KG.

Seller Inventory # 01838

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The First wave : Exploring Early Coastal Contact History In Australia
• Publisher: Wakefield Press, Adelaide S.A
• Publication Date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 174305615X
• ISBN 13: 9781743056158
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket

About this title

Synopsis

The European maritime explorers who first visited the bays and beaches of Australia brought with them diverse assumptions about the inhabitants of the country, most of them based on sketchy or non-existent knowledge, contemporary theories like the idea of the noble savage, and an automatic belief in the superiority of European civilisation. Mutual misunderstanding was almost universal, whether it resulted in violence or apparently friendly transactions. Written for a general audience, "The First Wave" brings together a variety of contributions from thought-provoking writers, including both original research and creative work. Our contributors explore the dynamics of these early encounters, from Indigenous cosmological perspectives and European history of ideas, from representations in art and literature to the role of animals, food and fire in mediating first contact encounters, and Indigenous agency in exploration and shipwrecks.