The Other Side of the Frontier
Encyclopedia
The Other Side of the Frontier: Aboriginal Resistance to the European invasion of Australia is a history
book published in 1981 by Australia
n historian
Henry Reynolds
. It is a study of Aboriginal Australian resistance to the British
settlement, or invasion, of Australia
from 1788 onwards.
The book constituted the first comprehensive research on this topic, and had a profound impact on Australian historiography
. The University of New South Wales
Press, which published the book, said it "profoundly changed the way in which we understand the history of relations between indigenous Australians and European settlers. It has since become a classic of Australian history." Robert Manne
described it as "an important landmark", while Professor Cassandra Pybus of the University of Sydney
wrote of the book that "no one could doubt the magnitude of Henry Reynold's achievement in profoundly changing the way we understand our past".
It has also been seen, retroactively, as one of the starting points of the "History Wars
", an ongoing academic, political and public debate regarding perceptions and presentations of Australian history.
Reviewing it for the Aboriginal Law Bulletin, John Terry wrote:
In 1982, the book was awarded the Ernest Scott Historical Prize.
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
book published in 1981 by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Henry Reynolds
Henry Reynolds (historian)
Henry Reynolds is an eminent Australian historian whose primary work has focused on the frontier conflict between European settlement of Australia and indigenous Australians.-Education and career:...
. It is a study of Aboriginal Australian resistance to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
settlement, or invasion, of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 1788 onwards.
The book constituted the first comprehensive research on this topic, and had a profound impact on Australian historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
. The University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
Press, which published the book, said it "profoundly changed the way in which we understand the history of relations between indigenous Australians and European settlers. It has since become a classic of Australian history." Robert Manne
Robert Manne
Robert Manne is a professor of politics at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.Born in Melbourne, Manne's earliest political consciousness was formed by the fact that his parents were Jewish refugees from Europe and his grandparents were victims of the Holocaust...
described it as "an important landmark", while Professor Cassandra Pybus of the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
wrote of the book that "no one could doubt the magnitude of Henry Reynold's achievement in profoundly changing the way we understand our past".
It has also been seen, retroactively, as one of the starting points of the "History Wars
History wars
The history wars in Australia are an ongoing public debate over the interpretation of the history of the British colonisation of Australia and development of contemporary Australian society...
", an ongoing academic, political and public debate regarding perceptions and presentations of Australian history.
Reviewing it for the Aboriginal Law Bulletin, John Terry wrote:
Reynolds' book presents important concepts in Australian history. It is an appreciation that the convicts, squatters, explorers, diggers, ticket-of-leave men and the like did not step onto a continent that was barren and uninhabited, but into a rich and complex world of another people who resisted the invasion, fought for their land, struggled to survive - and who continue to struggle for due recognition. These ideas have been familiar for some time of course, and attempts have been made to document them, but this is the first serious production by a competent historian.
In 1982, the book was awarded the Ernest Scott Historical Prize.