Histories of archaeology in Australasia and the Pacific

The articles in this virtual issue of Historical Records of Australian Science on the history of archaeology in Australasia and the Pacific have diverse origins.

Three are based on papers given at conference sessions organised by scholars associated with the ‘Collective Biography of Archaeology in the Pacific’ (CBAP) project, a project funded by the Australian Research Council through its Laureate Fellowship grant scheme, and by the Australian National University (ANU). Harry Allen’s article ‘Jack Golson, Roger Green and debates in New Zealand archaeology’ draws on a paper he delivered at ‘Trans-Tasman dialogues’, a combined conference of the New Zealand Archaeological Association (NZAA) and the Australian Archaeological Association (AAA), held in Auckland in 2018.

An early version of ‘Reverend Voyce and Père O’Reilly’s excavated collection from Bougainville: a case study in transnational histories of archaeology in the Pacific’, authored by Eve Haddow, Emilie Dotte-Sarout and Jim Specht, was presented at the AAA conference ‘Disrupting paradise: the archaeology of the driest continent on earth’, held on the Gold Coast in 2019. Matthew Spriggs’ article ‘“Casey did very good work for Wheeler and you are lucky to have him”: Dermot Casey’s under-appreciated importance in the history of Australian archaeology’ draws on presentations at both of the above conferences.

‘The role of oral history in archiving archaeology: a case study from La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia’, contributed by Caroline Spry, Jillian Garvey and Emmy Frost, arose from a moderated conversation between Australian archaeologists David Frankel, Jim Allen and Susan Lawrence, organised in 2017 as part of La Trobe University’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

‘Robert Edwards and the history of Australian rock art research’, contributed by Mike Smith, June Ross and Dick Kimber, was originally submitted to the journal as a stand-alone paper and subsequently assigned to this virtual issue by mutual agreement, given its relevance to the history of archaeology in Australasia and the Pacific.

Finally, ‘The historiography of Australian archaeology: a review’ was commissioned by the editors of Historical Records of Australian Science, as part of a series of review essays in the journal.

Hilary Howes and Matthew Spriggs
Guest Editors

Published 04 May 2021