School of History

Through the 20th century, Australians punched above their weight in the invention of the international order, as we have hardly known it. This lecture aims to go deeper into that international past—what we know and don’t know—by investigating Australians as international economic thinkers. In particular, it explores how, when, and why, international economic thinkers - businessmen and women, as well as economists and statesmen - exerted influence on the ambitions and plans of international organisations.

In the realm of historical research, there are areas that probe deeply into the heart of the human experience; the work of historians focused on the consequences of conflict is one of them. Dr Romain Fathi, stands at the crossroads of memory and history, his research investigates how nations grapple with the legacy of war's human toll.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people know very well the challenges of dealing with infectious diseases introduced from overseas to which the people have no immunity.

Historically, epidemics have brought a double threat: first to Indigenous health, then to Indigenous self-determination.

Most Australians - Indigenous people under the protection acts were an exception - have long taken for granted their right to cross state borders. They have treated them much as they do the often unmarked boundaries dividing their suburbs. Not any more.

What does political leadership look like in a pandemic? Many of us probably carry images in our heads of what good leadership might be in a depression or a war. But before 2020 few of us would have had any conception of what political leadership might look like during a life-threatening public health crisis.

Belinda offers a simple piece of advice to her first-year self. It’s advice she has come to live by in her time at ANU studying history, sociology and commerce, whether experiencing life in Canberra, or taking her education well beyond the classroom. And it’s advice that will inspire those at ANU today, and those starting tomorrow.

"Don’t settle for anything less than what you want. Go out and immerse yourself in things you enjoy and surround yourself with people that make you the best version of yourself."

Anzac Day 2020 will be a far cry from the Australian War Memorial’s dawn service of recent years. While dignified and solemn, the dawn service has also been spectacle. Sophisticated technology is used to project images from the memorial’s photographic collection onto the building. From an hour before the service, members of the armed forces read from the diaries and letters of men and women who have served in war over more than a century.

An Aboriginal woman carrying her daughter was instrumental to an 1836 colonial expedition exploring the Darling and Murray rivers.

While many would know the name of Sir Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General who led the expedition from Sydney, few would have heard of Turandurey, a young Aboriginal mother who took on the task of guiding Mitchell's all-male party to fresh water and food sources when older Aboriginal men refused. 

Bringing four decades of hands-on knowledge and experience in First Nations affairs, The Australian National University welcomes Dr Jacqueline Huggins AM FAHA as an Honorary Professor in History.

Dr Huggins, a Bidjara/ Birri Gubba Juru woman, has enjoyed a stellar career across academic, corporate and social sectors. She is among the first First Nations historians in Australia.

A new project at The Australian National University (ANU) shifts from the Australian history told from our colonial beginnings to one told by Aboriginal people, with stories that connect their recent past to the ancient history of their traditional lands.

Under the direction of the ANU Research Centre for Deep History, Professor Ann McGrath and mapping consultant Kim Mahood worked with Aboriginal Elders associated with the Lake Mungo region to record their family stories.