After Captain Cook: The Archaeology of the Recent Indigenous Past in Australia

The original papers collected in this pioneering volume address the historical archaeology of Aboriginal Australia and its application in researching the shared history of Aboriginal and settler Australians. The authors draw on case studies from across the continent to show how archaeology can illuminate the continuum of responses by indigenous Australians to European settlement and colonization. Taking an innovative approach to the relationship between archaeological theory and contemporary Australian history, the book also examines the role of archaeology in current debates over Aboriginal land rights and the role of 'post-contact' archaeology in cultural heritage management. An introduction by the series editors places the Australian material in the context of indigenous archaeological studies worldwide. The volume will be of interest to academic and public archaeologists, indigenous people, anthropologists, historians, and heritage managers who deal with indigenous communities.

About the Author

Rodney Harrison is a research fellow in the Centre for Cross Cultural Research at the Australian National University, Canberra. This book was largely prepared while he was employed in the cultural heritage research unit in the Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) in Sydney. His research has focused on 'contact' archaeology, the historical archaeology of the pastoral industry in Australia, collaborative and community-based archaeologies, and the role of material culture in negotiating cross-cultural encounters. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Western Australia. Christine Williamson holds a Ph.D. in archaeology from La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Her research has focused on the nature of European and Aboriginal interactions on the colonial frontier in northwest Tasmania, and the role of long-term historical trajectories in structuring post-contact change. Her research interests include historical archaeology, Aboriginal/European contact, and the writing of Aboriginal history. She is currently self-employed as a heritage consultant in Melbourne.