Antipodean Perspectives - (Nearly) Fifty Years of the Australasian Association for European History (AAEH)

Abstract

As R.J.B. Bosworth noted rather archly in 2000, the Australasian Association for European History technically "does not exist". With no membership, no fees, no office holders, no secretariat, no archive, and no constitution, this loose but persistent association has nevertheless been a major touchstone for the broad field of European history, and helped sustain the world-leading contribution to that field made by Australian and New Zealand-based historians of Europe's pasts. Several generations now have revelled in the biennial conferences that bring together postgrads and professors alike, and have never failed to provide a supportive (but critical) forum for the sharing of new and developing research. With the Association approaching its golden jubilee in 2019, this article pieces-together a general history of the otherwise "non-existent" organization, and makes a case for its importance.