Australia, local history in

Abstract

Australian local history had its origins as a documentation and, yes, celebration of European discovery, pioneering, and development in the nineteenth century. The first echoes rested with European settlers who provided personal stories of achievement in what was perceived as the alien and challenging Australian environment and who sought to memorialize pioneer communities. Anglo-centric, male, and conservative, the tone and themes they set shaped Australian local histories well into the twentieth century, and were reflected in the foundation and early years of the increasing number of local history societies and activities that emerged following the Second World War. The growth is attributed to social and economic changes that were threatening to transform or even destroy local communities, and the arrival of the sesquicentenaries and centenaries of towns and local institutions and an accompanying desire to create commemorative histories.