Steve

Dont forget one of the originals of the colonising genre - the Swiss Family Robinson [the book rather than the film].  Judy Birmingham has a paper in Vol. 1 [1983] of the Australian Journal of Historical Archaeology [now Australasian Historical Archaeology] on its description of the colonising process and Western thought on transplanting culture in the 18th century, and how it paralleled the real thing.  Interesting stuff but often forgotten.

Also for fictional accounts of colonising in Australia, lots to choose from, but Thomas Keneally 'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith' [film as well as excellent book] provides a fictionalised account of race relations, mixed ancestry Aboriginal people in the 19th century and both societal and domestic violence.  

Denis Gojak

>>> [log in to unmask] 12/07 5:10 am >>>
To all:

Perhaps some avid readers out there can help.  I am searching for
*fictional* (or historical fictional) novels or short stories (1) that focus
on episodes of culture contact or colonialism in the Americas, Australia,
Africa, or elsewhere and (2) that touch on issues worthy of anthropological
discussion with students.  In particular, I seek books that deal with
indigenous-colonial interactions.  Something like Conrad's _Heart of
Darkness_ comes to my mind as an example.  Just to clarify, the variety of
narrative accounts by archaeologists (e.g., Spector, Schrire, Praetzellis)
are not the suggestions that I seek here.

Being a swamped academic, I have lost touch with much of the non-academic
literature.  Any suggestions for classics or recent bestsellers or obscure
but worthy books? What have some of you read and liked/disliked, and have
you adopted any of these books in an anthropology course?  Which books are
so "bad" that they deserve much picking apart, which ones are good "period
pieces," and which ones have a commendable anthropological perspective?

Thanks very much in advance.  You can reply on- or off-list, as you prefer.

Steve


Stephen Silliman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
University of Massachusetts Boston
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