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Geek Culture / Australia?

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NIlooc223
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 03:55
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I recently noticed that through all the years of World history and other history classes not once was Australia EVER mentioned. Where was Australia during all this? Is there a reason Australia is never mentioned in textbooks? Did no one ever explore Australia and Australia never explore other place? Anyone know anything about the history and such?
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Fuzz
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 04:43 Edited at: 13th Feb 2014 04:43
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I don't know exactly what you're trying to say but when I was in school all the way up to college, we learned about Australia all the time in History/Society and History, whatever it's called here in Australia.

We did learn about other countries though. I suppose it's a lot like that wherever you go to school, though.

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NIlooc223
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 05:49
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Sorry. Basically I got to school in Texas, United States. and Not once in any textbook or at any point have we learned about anything to do with Australia. I do not understand why it is not part of the World History subject. Did Australia not play any special roles in the development of civilizations and such?
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easter bunny
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 06:20
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Not really. Australia was colonised by the British in the mid 1700's. It was used pretty much as a huge prison for the British convicts.

It's now a major player in the world, but really only got that way in the late 1800's


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Kezzla
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 09:02 Edited at: 13th Feb 2014 11:07
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My memories of Australian history in school consists of the first fleet, gold rush, Ned Kelly and Gallipoli with a small side of Aboriginal culture...

It's not really surprising Australian history is so elusive, when you consider the treatment of Aboriginals and nature of the colonization.

Before the British colonized, Australian history was recorded in the form of the dream-time legends.

Very interesting philosophy and metaphysics, but massively open to interpretation.

I always found Australian History to be painfully boring, is it possible you just fell asleep while reading the Australian chapter of your history book?

Ok, Jokes over, No more eye burn.
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nonZero
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 10:01 Edited at: 13th Feb 2014 10:05
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We did a little basic history on Australia, but almost nothing. A lot of my history was South African (I was schooled in Sunny South Africa). Apartheid, was rammed down our throats every year at some point and I reached the stage where I stopped listening. Even my History teacher acknowledged that it was bs to do the same thing each year, aside from the fact that it was slanted-POV history that made it seem as though the "Freedom Fighters" were in the right (because blowing up a train station is clearly fighting for emancipation and not just plain terrorism) and that the international pressure played no real role -- nor did FW de Klerk -- in the abolition of Apartheid ... What does that have to do with anything?
1). History is, by nature, subjective. What gets taught and how the facts are presented depend on where and by whom it is taught.
2) Always question everything. Do your own research. My teacher encouraged this.

So it is no wonder you learned nothing of Australia since, for whatever reason, the country/continent did not fit the syllabus designed to shape the young minds of your era/region.

I'm aware I'm treading the political line, I won't step over it.

Formerly nonZero
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Libervurto
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 11:42
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At my school the choices in history were: World War I, World War II, or the rise and fall of the Nazis. I think Britain is as obsessed with the world wars as RSA is with apartheid.
Really, there is SO much history that is far more interesting that bloody wars! I wanted to learn about the Greeks but no, let's learn about what happened fifty years ago and you could just as easily ask an old person about or turn on the history channel at any time of day.
I do wonder how relevant syllabuses are now that we have the internet. Now more than ever school is not the place to inform children of facts and dates (all that information is available to them already), but the focus should be on interpreting the information they find and learning how to filter out bad information and question authority.

Formerly OBese87.
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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 12:12 Edited at: 13th Feb 2014 12:14
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In school we did some history on Australia, mainly with the 'Crime and Punishment' modules, given we used to send our criminals there. This module covered a lot of history, from things like the Bloody Code to as recent as the abolition of the death penalty in the UK.

I did GCSE History at school, so I covered more, but throughout my school life, we've covered the Ancient Greeks, The Ancient Romans, The Vikings, The Anglo Saxons, The Battle of Hastings/Norman England, General Medieval Times, The Tudors, The Discovery of America & the Puritanism of New England, The English Civil War (I live in Oliver Cromwell's home town, it's a given), The Battle of Roses, Australia as a prison, The Suffragettes and Women's Rights, The Luddites, Slavery, World War I, World War II and Vietnam. At University, I ended up doing some stuff on Ancient Mesopotamia in relation to Cuneiform (I did it was one of my first year projects), more on the Second World War (mainly from a writing perspective, like Primo Levi) and other bits of history.

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Kevin Picone
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 13:17 Edited at: 13th Feb 2014 13:17
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Australia





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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 14:40
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Quote: "Basically I got to school in Texas, United States."


Interestingly, "Texas" isn't mentioned on that Wikipedia page. Is there some weird conspiracy going on?



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Kezzla
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 14:47
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LOL kevin,

I thought I was being a little brutal, but skimming that article I realized I pretty much hit it on the head! That is uncanny... so much childhood boredom condensed to one article...

Sorry, but I just cannot be excited about Australian history, It really has to be the most boring history record of any nation. *any nation*

Find one more boring... Open challenge.

It has its share of controversy and horrors, but when you condense it to its bullet points like in the wiki article, there is really nothing actually uniquely interesting about it.

I liked the dream-time stuff, settler ways were quaint, captain cook was Cooked by cannibals, eureka stockade were a bunch of drunk miners who were basically pissed about the price of gold and decided to hold a siege, ultimately they were taken down brutally.

Ned Kelly was shot in the knees and hung as a thief and murderer.

Prove to me someone under 50 can recite one passage written by Banjo Patterson without consulting wikipedia...

Our Gallipoli troops were downright brave, but were given a bum steer and delivered to a massacre and very cleverly escaped. *note-Downright no dis-respect here, that was hardcore and beyond anything I can actually grasp.

BTW the Chinese have been here nearly as long as the English settlers and are still considered Foreigners?!

When I look Back at Australian history, I see a lot of topics, and a lot of words written, but the actual impact and horror of it
is written in very few words.

I am an Aboriginal sympathizer.

The horrors that they were subjected to are very briefly written about and rarely discussed.

I stop myself here, because It just gets ugly and against AUP.

Ok, Jokes over, No more eye burn.
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nonZero
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 16:49
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Quote: "Find one more boring... Open challenge."

Challenge accpted: Canada... no offence.

Formerly nonZero
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Indicium
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 17:09
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Quote: "Really, there is SO much history that is far more interesting that bloody wars!"


I don't find anything nearly as interesting as World War II. There are so many aspects to it - the Enigma machine for example I find very interesting.

\r\nThey see me coding, they hating. http://indi-indicium.blogspot.co.uk/
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Phaelax
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 23:01
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In American history, Australia hasn't exactly been a major player, which is likely why we don't study their history in school. We learn about the major wars that involved us. I doubt students in Australia learn anything the american civil war, but we'll spend weeks learning about it every year. It's all relative on where you live. I wouldn't be surprised if the details of the revolutionary war were a little different between our schools and UK.

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Quik
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Posted: 13th Feb 2014 23:16
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Quote: "We learn about the major wars that involved us."


I doubt many people learn about Swedish history - But that's about all history we get to learn in Sweden (except for occasionally mentioning the american civil war and some french stuff.)



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greenlig
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Posted: 14th Feb 2014 02:43
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Some interesting stuff happened in Tasmania with cannibals, back when convicts were shuffling around. A historian friend of mine made a really good podcast on it HERE. Worth a listen.

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Fuzz
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Posted: 14th Feb 2014 06:22
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Good old Tassie

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Van B
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Posted: 14th Feb 2014 13:00
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It's a weird one - in the UK at least a helluva lot is covered in History - maybe dwells a bit on WW2, but it's probably a lot better than some countries education system. But Australia, anything I know about Aussie history has come from Aussies... like their inherent willingness to fight in wars whether their country is involved or not!, lots of Aussies fought in Korea and Vietnam for example, might be nice if that was ever mentioned in a Vietnam war movie, documentary, or anything really.

I am the one who knocks...
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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 14th Feb 2014 13:29
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Yes, not much is said these days. Used to be different. When I was a kid I remember lots of articles and stories about the Anzac troops in WW2. Probably meant more to us Brits though at the time.



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Mobiius
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Posted: 14th Feb 2014 17:01
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Quote: "Basically I got to school in Texas, United States."

God didn't create Australia, so it isn't taught about there. lol

I'm only kidding, this is a joke not intended to cause offence or start a flame war.


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Phaelax
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Posted: 14th Feb 2014 18:19
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I learned everything I know about Australia from this guy:



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Ortu
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Posted: 15th Feb 2014 05:05
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maybe the curriculum has changed since i was in school, but i remember covering australia during world history in Texas. admittedly, it was brief to be sure.

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Kezzla
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Posted: 15th Feb 2014 05:50
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Quote: "I learned everything I know about Australia from this guy:"




Quote: "Challenge accpted: Canada... no offence."


hmmm... we had no Canadian history in our curriculum, but that does sound like it has the potential to be pretty dry. I'll call it a draw. How aboot it?

Ok, Jokes over, No more eye burn.
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nonZero
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Posted: 15th Feb 2014 10:43
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Draw it is then.

Formerly a cat
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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 15th Feb 2014 11:52 Edited at: 15th Feb 2014 11:53
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Quote: "I learned everything I know about Australia from this guy:"


And don't forget the Aussie cultural attaché:





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Mobiius
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Posted: 16th Feb 2014 12:25
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She looks very talented......


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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 16th Feb 2014 13:23
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She does indeed.



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BiggAdd
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Posted: 16th Feb 2014 13:25 Edited at: 16th Feb 2014 13:25
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Good ol' Bazza. Even a pommy bastard like myself knows who Sir Les is, ya great galah.

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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 16th Feb 2014 14:21
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Ha!



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