Description

This book is an exploration of Western Australia's colonial history: one that examines and critiques two major historiographical approaches to the writing of such history, and makes the case for a new approach, which is then exemplified by a case study of colonial life in Greenough. It therefore consists of two component parts: 1) an examination of historiographical approaches and issues in the writing of Western Australia's colonial history; and 2) a case study of colonial life in Greenough. The first part traces the history of the Gentry tradition of Western Australian history writing and also establishes the existence of a liberal constitutionalist school within the State. The second part traces a "new" history of colonial life in Greenough: one that is set apart, in different ways, from the two established schools of Western Australian history.