Families in Colonial Australia

by Patricia Grimshaw (Editor), Chris McConville (Editor), Ellen McEwen (Editor)

Traditionally, the family - the web of personal experience within it - has been relegated to the private domain; only recently have social historians come to recognise its value in revealing the process by which the day-to-day reality of the past can be made central to our history.

This collection presents the work of historians who have chosen to explore the possibilities of this new field. Most see themselves as social historians, some have come to this area from an interest in women's history; all are concerned to illuminate forgotten or hitherto-unexplained aspects of the lives of ordinary Australians.

The accounts presented here extend over all mainland states and cover the full span of the colonial period from the convict period to the early twentieth century. They introduce the reader to families in the city and 'the bush', to families of the poor and the 'well-to-do', to those falling apart or settled into comfortable routines. Here is a fresh and valuable collection which can help us to understand 'the way we were'.

227 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although very informative, most chapters were quite dry and heavy on statistics.