Book review of "Van Diemen's Land: an Aboriginal history" by M. Johnson and I. McFarlane. Sydney, NSW, New South Publishing, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-7422-3421-2

Perhaps it was because Keith Windschuttle ignited the history wars by claiming much of the bloodshed in Van Diemen's Land was fictitious that the Aboriginal history of this small island has been the subject of several recent books. The latest offering, by Murray Johnson and Ian McFarlane, takes the dispute to a new level — a welcome level of restraint and moderation, with none of the whooping shrillness of some earlier combatants for historical veracity and virtue. While pointing out the shortcomings of Windschuttle's interpretations, Johnson and McFarlane credit him with giving the historical profession a much-needed shake-up regarding the use and misuse of documentary evidence, on the exten of frontier violence in colonial Van Diemen's Land in particular. Their own careful evaluations of the empirical record are exemplary, recounted in clear, straightforward and unembellished prose.

Australian Journal of Politics and History

Australian Journal of Politics and History

61

1467-8497

N/A

3

2