Jabzy
Published 25 Apr 2015First, Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars. I left out the Fourth War because it really wasn’t connected to the previous 3.
Also – I hope you don’t mind I used ‘Netherlands’ throughout the video despite the fact the term didn’t come until much later.
The Cynical Historian
Published 26 Oct 2019There’s a question in the history profession that if sufficiently answered could not only reshape how we conceive ourselves, but reveal the best course of action for politics around the world. What makes the West strong? While there are many answers, the most popular of these has been Jared Diamond’s Guns Germs and Steel. You’ll see his argument all over the place, including a NatGeo documentary. But of course it has its detractors, to the point that some historians consider it pseudo-history. Now I think that’s going too far, but there are enough problems with his thesis that we can’t take it as the final answer to these questions. So let’s talk about that.
————————————————————
errata
10:32 – not “Blaut’s theory” but “Diamond’s theory” (thx PunkSci)
————————————————————references:
James M. Blaut, Eight Eurocentric Historians: The Colonizer’s Model of the World, Volume Two (New York: The Guilford Press, 2000), 149-172. https://amzn.to/2YFt0iQMichael C. Campbell and Sarah A. Tishkoff, “African Genetic Diversity: Implications for Human Demographic History, Modern Human Origins, and Complex Disease Mapping,” Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics 9 (22 September 2008): 403-433.
Jared Diamond, Guns Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (New York: WW Norton, 1997). https://amzn.to/2GK6AqI
Martin W. Lewis and Karen E. Wigen, The Myth of Continents: A Critique of Metageography (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997). https://amzn.to/2H0ylv7
Richard York and Philip Mancus, “Diamond in the Rough: Reflections on Guns, Germs, and Steel,” Human Ecology Review 14, no. 2 (2007): 157-162.
https://thetruesize.com
————————————————————
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TimeGhost History
Published 20 May 2020The Dutch reconquered most of the Indonesian cities on Java and Sumatra, but the Indonesian War of Independence continues as the international community grows tired of the Dutch attitude.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Isabel Wilson and Joram Appel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Isabel Wilson and Joram Appel
Edited by: Karolina Dołęga
Maps: Ryan Weatherby
Sound design: Marek KamińskiColorizations:
Carlos Ortega Pereira (BlauColorizations) – https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…Bibliography: https://bit.ly/IndoSources
Image Sources:
Nationaal Archief
Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures
Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia
Tukangpulas – https://www.instagram.com/tukangpulas…The icons from The Noun Project by Adrien Coquet
Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
1 day ago
We have seen two colonial offensives, two peace agreements, civil wars and multiple foreign interventions. And yet, 1949 is the most deadly year of the entire Indonesian War of Independence. And, without spoiling the episode, stuff doesn’t end in 1949. Indonesia will stay the stage of revolts, colonialism, civil war and ideological purges for decades to come. We won’t get to cover that in these series, as these are exclusively about the Indonesian War of Independence from 1945 to 1949. We might revisit the area in the future though. If you want to support that, and share in the decision of what series to make next, you can support us on www.patreon.com/timeghosthistory or https://timeghost.tv.
Cheers, Joram and Izzy
TimeGhost History
Published 13 May 2020The international community forces the Dutch to end their first colonial offensive with the Renville Agreement. However, as the Dutch, the Indonesian Republicans and the multiple other groups continue fighting, an impasse devolops.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Joram Appel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Joram Appel and Isabel Wilson
Edited by: Karolina Dołęga
Sound design: Marek KamińskiColorizations:
Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
Carlos Ortega Pereira (BlauColorizations – https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…
Jaris Almazani (Artistic Man) – https://instagram.com/artistic.man?Research Sources: https://bit.ly/IndoSources
Visual Sources:
Nationaal Archief
National Archives NARA
Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World CulturesIcons from the Noun Project by Wonmo Kang, Creative Mania & Claudia Revalina
Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
Music:
“Other Sides of Glory” – Fabien Tell
“Remembrance” – Fabien Tell
“Sailing for Gold” – Howard Harper-Barnes
“Last Point of Safe Return” – Fabien Tell
“It’s Not a Game” – Philip Ayers
“Moving to Disturbia” – Experia
“March Of The Brave 10” – Rannar Sillard
“March Of The Brave 9” – Rannar SillardA TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 8 May 2020Japan may well have the record for World’s Speediest Industrialization, but how did they accomplish so much so fast without falling victim to Europe’s favorite 19th century pastime of “Colonization”? And how did Japan build up a Pan-Asian empire so darn quickly? All that and more in this deep-dive into the Meiji Restoration!
SOURCES & Further Reading:
Modern Japan: A Very Short Introduction by Goto-Jones.
The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War by Paine.
Bushido: The Soul of Japan by Nitobe.THAT WACKY POLITICAL CARTOON: “Japan Makes Her Debut Under Columbia’s Auspicies” https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services…
This video was edited by Sophia Ricciardi AKA “Indigo”. https://www.sophiakricci.com/
Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.
PATREON: https://www.Patreon.com/OSP
DISCORD: https://discord.gg/h3AqJPe
MERCH LINKS: https://www.redbubble.com/people/OSPY…
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Find us on Twitter https://www.Twitter.com/OSPYouTube
Find us on Reddit https://www.Reddit.com/r/OSP/
TimeGhost History
Published 6 May 2020The Dutch are desperate to regain control over their colony as the Lingadjatti Treaty failed to deliver. They launch a brutal military offensive which they mask as “police actions” in an attempt to satisfy the international community.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Joram Appel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Joram Appel and Isabel Wilson
Edited by: Karolina Dołęga
Sound design: Marek KamińskiColorizations:
Carlos Ortega Pereira (BlauColorizations) – https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…
Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
Jaris Almazani (Artistic Man) – https://instagram.com/artistic.man?ig…
KlimbimResearch Sources: https://bit.ly/IndoSources
Visual Sources:
Nationaal Archief
Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures
Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.Music:
“Last Point of Safe Return” – Fabien Tell
“Guilty Shadows 4” – Andreas Jamsheree
“Epic Adventure Theme 4” – Håkan Eriksson
“Symphony of the Cold-Blooded” – Christian Andersen
“Disciples of Sun Tzu” – Christian Andersen
“March Of The Brave 10” – Rannar Sillard – Test
“Remembrance” – Fabien Tell
“Moving to Disturbia” – Experia
“Deflection” – Reynard Seidel
“Heroes On Horses” – Gunnar Johnsén
“Not Safe Yet” – Gunnar Johnsen
“Ominous” – Philip Ayers
“Last Point of Safe Return” – Fabien Tell
“Epic Adventure Theme 4” – Håkan Eriksson
“Walk With Legends” – Bonnie Grace
“Epic Adventure Theme 4” – Håkan ErikssonA TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 29 Jul 2017Human sacrifice, smallpox, and the Spanish empire … that’s the whole story, right? Haha, eheh, hehe, HA, not even close! The civilizations of Mesoamerica are fascinating in their own right, and very distinct from each other too! Step on in and I’ll learn you a thing or two.
Also no spoilers, but next time, I’m covering the Iroquois Confederation! Ok, maybe that was exactly a spoiler. [Reposted here.]
This video was produced with assistance from the Boston University Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
PATREON: www.patreon.com/user?u=4664797
MERCH LINKS:
Shirts – https://overlysarcasticproducts.threa…
All the other stuff – http://www.cafepress.com/OverlySarcas…Find us on Twitter @OSPYouTube!
TimeGhost History
Published 29 Apr 2020The Indonesian War of Independence is heavily fuelled by the gangs of youngsters who go by the name of Pemuda. They engage in clandestine guerrilla fighting as their revolution takes a violent turn.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Isabel Wilson and Joram Appel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Isabel Wilson and Joram Appel
Edited by: Karolina Dołęga
Sound design: Marek KamińskiColorizations:
Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
Jaris Almazani (Artistic Man) – https://instagram.com/artistic.man?ig…
Carlos Ortega Pereira (BlauColorizations) – https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…Research Sources: https://bit.ly/IndoSources
Sources:
Tropenmuseum part of the National Museum of World Cultures
Nationaal Archief
Imperial Wars Museum: SE7034; SE5663Music:
“Deviation In Time” – Johannes Bornlof
“Disciples of Sun Tzu” – Christian Andersen
“Epic Adventure Theme 4” – Håkan Eriksson
“Guilty Shadows 4” – Andreas Jamsheree
“Last Point of Safe Return” – Fabien Tell
“Magnificent March 3” – Johannes Bornlöf
“March Of The Brave 10” – Rannar Sillard
“The End Of The World 2” – Håkan Eriksson
“The Inspector 4” – Johannes Bornlöf
“The Unexplored” – Philip Ayers.
“Try and Catch Us Now” – David CelesteArchive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
1 day ago (edited)
For the research of this episode about Indonesian revolutionary culture in 1946, I mostly turned to the diaries and writings of those who were there. Reading the untouched experiences was so absorbing and allowed for writing a bottom-up narrative. Something that didn’t make it into the video was the work of Chairil Anwar, a poet who died young a few years after the War of Independence. Dwelling about the life and death of the individual during the revolution, his poetry defied Indonesia’s antagonists. In his poem “Notes for 1946”, he writes of how it felt to be among the young generation of Indonesia: “We – running dogs, hunting hounds – we get to see only a moment of this drama we play in.” I’d definitely recommend reading his work if you’re interested!
Cheers, Izzy.
TimeGhost History
Published 22 Apr 2020In Indonesia, following the end of the Second World War catalyses the end of brutal Japanese rule. Their exit prompts the Dutch to begin restoring their prewar colonial status over the archipelago. But nationalist spirits are brewing, their opportunity to proclaim Indonesian independence is transpiring.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Watch the Prologue to the Indonesian War of Independence series right here: https://youtu.be/IkKJSRaeOik
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Isabel Wilson and Joram Appel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Isabel Wilson and Joram Appel
Edited by: Karolina Dołęga
Sound design: Marek KaminskiColorizations:
Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
Jaris Almazani (Artistic Man) – https://instagram.com/artistic.man?ig…Sources:
Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures
Imperial War Museum Arts: Ronald Searle, SE5895 , SE-5865, SE5663, SE5724
RijksmuseumMusic:
“Deviation In Time” – Johannes Bornlof
“Last Point of Safe Return” – Fabien Tell
“Deflection” – Reynard Seidel
“Disciples of Sun Tzu” – Christian Andersen
“Split Decision” – Rannar Sillard
“Other Sides of Glory” – Fabien Tell
“Last Man Standing 3” – Johannes Bornlöf
“Magnificent March 3” – Johannes Bornlöf
“Deviation In Time” – Johannes BornlofA TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
1 day ago (edited)
For the last decades, writing colonial histories on events such as the Indonesian War of Independence has been a difficult task. Due to the incriminating nature of the events, records were either never made or have been regularly “lost” since. Political interest in the events was minimal in both The Netherlands and Indonesia, but times are changing. In recent years, a lot more research power has been allocated to this topic by Dutch and Indonesian Universities and Research collectives. Finding colonial truths is a huge focus of academia right now and their work has allowed us to get real with colonialism in this series. We’re sure that even more sources and stories will surface in the coming years, allowing for more books and documentary such as ours to be made. We’re interested to hear what you think about this episode! Make sure to let us know in the comments!Cheers,
Izzy
TimeGhost History
Published 15 Apr 2020This is the prologue to our five-part Indonesian War of Independence Miniseries. It sets the stage of brutal colonial repression, a growing sense of Indonesian Nationalism and ultimately the desire to be free.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by:
Spartacus Olsson and Joram Appel
Directed by: Astrid Deinhard
Produced by: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Joram Appel and Isabel Wilson
Edited by: Wieke Kapteijns, Guido Becker
Sound design: Marek KamińskiColorizations by: Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
Research Sources: https://bit.ly/IndoSources
Visual Sources:
Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures
Wellcome ImagesIcons retrieved via The Nounproject: gold by Phạm Thanh Lộc, slaves by Salaidinovich, silver by Marie Van den Broeck, spice by ahmad, Opium Poppies by Matt Wasser.
Music:
“Disciples of Sun Tzu” – Christian Andersen
“Weapon of Choice” – Fabien Tell
“Guilty Shadows 4” – Andreas Jamsheree
“Road To Tibet 5” – Rannar Sillard
“Sailing for Gold” – Howard Harper-Barnes
“The Inspector 4” – Johannes Bornlöf
“The Dominion” – Bonnie Grace
“Heroes On Horses” – Gunnar Johnsén
“Not Safe Yet” – Gunnar JohnsenA TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
2 days ago (edited)
This is the prologue to our new ‘Indonesian War of Independence’ mini-series. Now, we initially only wanted to do five episodes, but episode one became double as long as we imagined, so we decided to cut the historical context out and put it in a prologue. These series are mainly written by Joram and Isabel, two historians from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Now, you might say that we are not in the best position to talk about European Imperialism because of that. However, as we’re both academically trained historians, we believe that we’re able to overcome any bias through the use of academic methods and peer-reviewed academic sources. If anyone is interested to take a look at our source-list, you can find it right here: https://bit.ly/IndoSourcesThese mini-series have been chosen out of a bigger selection by our TimeGhost Army. They fund almost our entire production – this would not exist without them. Become one of them to choose future series and to support the creation of content just like this! You can do that at patreon.com/timeghosthistory or https://timeghost.tv.
Cheers,
Joram
Biographics
Published 26 Sep 2018Credits:
Host – Simon Whistler
Author – Shannon Quinn
Producer – Jack Cole
Executive Producer – Shell Harris
World War Two
Published 19 Mar 2020In today’s episode of Out of the Foxholes, we answer exciting questions concerning Dutch and French colonies in America, British defence strategies in India and French soldiers stuck in Britain post-armistice.
Ask your own question for Out of the Foxholes here: https://community.timeghost.tv/c/Out-…
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tvFollow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sourcesHosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Rune Væver Hartvig
Produced and Directed by: Spartacus Olsson and Astrid Deinhard
Executive Producers: Bodo Rittenauer, Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Rune Væver Hartvig
Edited by: Mikołaj Cackowski
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)Colorizations by:
Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/
Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/Sources:
IWM H 3508, D 1725
gold by Phạm Thanh Lộc from the Noun Project
Rum by Andrejs Kirma from the Noun Project
sugar by Maria Zamchy from the Noun ProjectSoundtracks from the Epidemic Sound:
Hakan Eriksson – “Adventure Theme 3”
Johannes Bornlof – “The Inspector 4”
Reynard Seidel – “Deflection”Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 13 Mar 2020Ethiopian History gets started early and just keeps on going. From the dawn of humanity itself through the medieval period and into the modern day, the history of the kingdom at the end of the Blue Nile is full of surprises.
SOURCES & Further Reading: Harold Marcus A History of Ethiopia and John Jackson’s Ethiopia and the Origins of Civilization, see also Kenneth Vickery’s lecture “Ethiopia: Outpost of Christianity” and William Cook’s lecture “The Rock-Hewn Churches of Ethiopia” via The Great Courses.
This video was edited by Sophia Ricciardi AKA “Indigo”. https://www.sophiakricci.com/
Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.
PATREON: https://www.Patreon.com/OSP
DISCORD: https://discord.gg/h3AqJPe
MERCH LINKS: https://www.redbubble.com/people/OSPY…
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Find us on Twitter https://www.Twitter.com/OSPYouTube
Find us on Reddit https://www.Reddit.com/r/OSP/
The Great War
Published 15 Feb 2020Sign up for Curiosity Stream and Nebula: https://curiositystream.com/thegreatwar
Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points and their idea of self-determination didn’t go unnoticed in the former German colonies like German Southwest Africa. But especially South Africa had other ideas at the Paris Peace Conference and lobbied to take control over future Namibia and its lucrative diamond mines.
» SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thegreatwar
Merchandise: https://shop.spreadshirt.de/thegreatwar/» SOURCES
Emmett, Tony. 1999. Popular Resistance and the Roots of Nationalism in Namibia, 1915-1966. Basel, Switzerland: P. Schlettwein Publishing.
Olusoga, David, and Casper W. Erichsen. 2011. The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism. London, UK: Faber and Faber.
Onselen, Charles van. 1980. Chibaro: African mine labour in Southern Rhodesia 1900-1933. London, UK: Pluto Pr.
Pirio, Gregory. 1988. “The Role of Garveyism in the Making of Namibian Nationalism.” In Namibia 1884-1984: Readings on Namibia’s History and Society: Selected Papers and Proceedings of the International Conference on “Namibia 1884-1984: 100 Years of Foreign Occupation; 100 Years of Struggle”, London 10-13 September, 1984, Organised by the Namibia Support Committee in Co-Operation with the SWAPO Department of Information and Publicity, edited by International Conference on “Namibia 1884-1984: 100 Years of Foreign Occupation; 100 Years of Struggle,” Brian Wood, Namibia Support Committee, United Nations Institute for Namibia, SWAPO, and Department of Information and Publicity. London: The Committee in cooperation with United Nations Institute for Namibia.
“Report on the Natives of South-West Africa and Their Treatment by Germany.” 1918. 1918. https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00072665/00001/1j.
Silvester, Jeremy, and Jan-Bart Gewald, eds. 2003. Words Cannot Be Found: German Colonial Rule in Namibia: An Annotated Reprint of the 1918 Blue Book. Sources for African History, v. 1. Leiden, NL ; Boston, USA: Brill.
Smith, Iain R. 1999. “Jan Smuts and the South African War.” South African Historical Journal 41 (1): 172–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/0258247990867….
Vinson, Robert Trent. 2012. Americans Are Coming! Dreams of African American Liberation in Segregationist South Africa. Athens: Ohio University Press. http://public.eblib.com/choice/public….
Wallace, Marion, and John Kinahan. 2013. A History of Namibia from the Beginning to 1990. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
William Blakemore Lyon. 2015. “The South West Africa Company and Anglo-German Relations, 1892-1914.” Master’s thesis, Cambridge University.
Zimmerer, Jürgen, and Joachim Zeller. 2008. Genocide in German South-West Africa. Monmouth, UK: Merlin Press.
Michell, Lewis (1910). The Life and Times of the Right Honourable Cecil John Rhodes 1853-1902, Volume 2. New York and London: Mitchell Kennerly
Rhodes, Cecil, (1902) “The Last Will and Testament of Cecil John Rhodes: With Elucidatory Notes to Which Are Added Some Chapters Describing the Political and Religious Ideas of the Testator”, London: “Review of Reviews” Office
Cecil Rhodes, “Confession of Faith”, 1877 https://pages.uoregon.edu/kimball/Rho…» SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_great_war
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WW1_Series
Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/TheGreatWarChannel»CREDITS
Presented by: Jesse Alexander
Written by: Jesse Alexander
Director: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
Director of Photography: Toni Steller
Sound: Toni Steller
Editing: Toni Steller
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: http://above-zero.com
Maps: Daniel Kogosov (https://www.patreon.com/Zalezsky)
Research by: Jesse Alexander
Fact checking: Florian WittigChannel Design: Alexander Clark
Original Logo: David van StepholdA Mediakraft Networks Original Channel
Contains licensed material by getty images
All rights reserved – Real Time History GmbH 2020
We can project all sorts of fantasies onto our Aboriginal ancestors. There is scant record of their individual exploits or characters, and very few colonial Aborigines left behind a documented account of their experiences. I could, therefore, decide that my foremothers were courageous warriors of the resistance, or mysterious keepers of ancient feminine wisdoms, or I could envision them as victims and martyrs, enduring the humiliations of colonisation with grace and dignity. These romantic fantasies would be accepted as fact, and my “truth” would be applauded. My own (arguably more plausible) vision is that my Aboriginal foremothers had the good sense to form alliances with the settlers, and that they improved their own lives and their children’s prospects as a result.
I don’t begrudge any Aboriginal person a desire to fill in the blanks in their histories with romanticism, particularly given the rewards on offer. The story of white injustice and black tragedy has become the most acceptable Aboriginal tale to tell, and is now the only perspective on Aboriginal history — despite that dearth of documented accounts — that could possibly be accepted as authentic and true. To suggest that our story is not all about victimhood is bad enough; to suggest that modernity was in any way a blessing is double-plus ungood crimethink.
[…]
Those who mourn the demise of Aboriginal culture almost always regard things from the viewpoint of the men, who were indeed dispossessed of their land, and subsequently their traditions and status. Land wasn’t the only item of property they lost, however. They also lost or traded their women to the settlers, and this absorption — along with frontier warfare and disease — rapidly eroded tribal structures and doomed Aboriginal traditions to obsolescence. The settlers arrived with a wealth of goods and a shortage of females, and they were generally less enthusiastic about beating women than was customary in Aboriginal culture. In contrast, the Aboriginal men held no wealth, treated their women appallingly, and there were few taboos to prevent women from straying — and so stray they did. The men lost a lot in the invasion, while the women had little to lose and plenty to gain. Modern-day Aboriginal women who mourn the loss of traditional culture have rocks in their heads. (Metaphorically, that is. Back then, it would have been literally.)
Kerryn Pholi, “Something More: An Alternative Perspective on Australia Day”, Penthouse.au, 2018-01-22.
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