From the Ruins of Colonialism throws fresh light on the history of
memory, forgetting and colonialism. Focusing on Australia, the book
charts how film, public commemorations, history textbooks and museums
have, in a strange ensemble, become something called Australian History.
It considers key moments of historical imagination, including the
legends of Captain Cook and the Eureka Stockade, events such as the 1988
Bicentennial celebrations and the shipwrecked woman Eliza Fraser, whose
story reflects anxieties about race and gender. This book argues for a
new sense of remembering. Rather than being content with a culture of
amnesia, it makes the case for learning to belong in the ruins of
colonial histories. Chris Healy's investigation of these historical
cultures and narratives is innovative and stimulating and will become a
powerful statement for new histories.