The Royal Navy in Indigenous Australia, 1795-1855 : Maritime Encounters and British Museum Collections / by Daniel Simpson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Simpson, Daniel, author.

Series:

Palgrave Studies in Pacific History, 2947-9258

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Australasia.

History.

Great Britain--History.

Great Britain.

Imperialism.

Science--History.

Science.

Australian History.

History of Britain and Ireland.

Imperialism and Colonialism.

History of Science.

Local Subjects:

Australian History.

History of Britain and Ireland.

Imperialism and Colonialism.

History of Science.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (XXIII, 305 p. 22 illus., 19 illus. in color.)

Edition:

1st ed. 2020.

Place of Publication:

Cham : Springer International Publishing : Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020.

Summary:

This book offers the first in-depth enquiry into the origins of the 135 Indigenous Australian objects acquired by the Royal Navy between 1795 and 1855, and held now by the British Museum. In response to increasing calls for the 'decolonisation' of museums, and the restitution of ethnographic collections, the book seeks to return knowledge of the moments, methods, and motivations whereby Indigenous Australian objects were first collected, and sent to Britain. By structuring its discussion in terms of the three main 'stages' of a typical naval voyage to Australia - departure from British shores, arrival on the continent's coasts, and final return to port - the book offers a composite and complete understanding of the pathways first followed by these 135 objects. The book explores numerous new understandings of Indigenous Australian peoples' reactions to British visitors, and furthermore contributes a series of important and original insights into the provenance and meaning of many of theworld's oldest Indigenous Australian object collections.

Contents:

Chapter One: Introduction

Chapter Two: The Science of Naval Collecting

Chapter Three: Commissioning Indigenous Australia

Chapter Four: Discipline and Authority

Chapter Five: Beaches

Chapter Six: Sounds

Chapter Seven: Islands and Peninsulas

Chapter Eight: The Customs House

Chapter Nine: The Naval Hospital

Chapter Ten: The Museum

Chapter 11: Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

9783030600976

3030600971