W.E.H. Stanner: Selected Writings

by W.E.H. Stanner

W.E.H. Stanner's words changed Australia. Without condescension and without sentimentality, in essays such as 'The Dreaming' Stanner conveyed the richness and uniqueness of Aboriginal culture. In his Boyer Lectures he exposed a 'cult of forgetfulness practised on a national scale,' regarding the fate of the Aborigines, for which he coined the phrase 'the great Australian silence'. And in his essay 'Durmugam' he provided an unforgettable portrait of a warrior's attempt to hold back cultural change. 'He was such a man,' Stanner wrote. 'I thought I would like to make the reading world see and feel him as I did.'



The pieces collected here span the career of W.E.H. Stanner as well as the history of Australian race relations. They reveal the extraordinary scholarship, humanity and vision of one of Australia's finest essayists. Their revival is a significant event.



With an introductory essay by Robert Manne.



"Stanner's essays still hold their own among this country's finest writings on matters black and white." - Noel Pearson

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Indigenous, Essays, Australia, Sociology

360 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

W.E.H. Stanner (1905–1981) helped to shape the growth of Australian anthropology, and his principal interest was the peoples of Daly River and Wadeye in the Northern Territory. Until the end of his life, he devoted to securing recognition of Aboriginal rights to land. Stanner was a member of the Council for Aboriginal Affairs and, in 1968, the ABC's Boyer Lecturer. He was a founding member of the Aboriginal Treaty Committee. Appointed to the chair of anthropology at the Australian National University, he served as head of the department of anthropology and sociology until his retirement in 1970.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that every Australian must be made to read. Forget about getting a tree at citizenship - give this book to every new Australian!

[Denis Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning writing setting out the work and experiences of a European Australian (WEH Stanner, anthropologist, 1905-1981) with a perhaps unique and definitely thoroughly reasoned understanding of Aboriginal Australia. Neither I think a pessimist nor an optimist but someone of great experience and with exceptional clarity of vision, Stanner makes it just as clear what he doesn't or even can't know. Recommended to anyone with an interest in the matters of the Aborigines from the European occupation of Australia to the present and the future.

[Haylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This needs to be required reading for all Australians. I don't know if I actually am, but I at least feel so very much more insightful about the endless intricacies of Aboriginal society, relationships, traditions and culture, and appreciate and understand the immense injustices of early colonial Australia a little more. Stammer writes with amazing empathy, incredible knowledge and great feeling. This collection of essays was hard to get through at times (that can be attributed more to my lack of experience in reading this kind of text than much else), but I feel very grateful that I came across this and strongly recommend it to anyone who doesn't have much knowledge or understanding of Aboriginal-white Australian relations in Australian history. I feel more like I've undertaken a university course in history, politics, sociology and empathy than simply read a book.

[Céline :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

WEH Stanner: The Anthropologist as Humanist
[TBR]

Durmugam: A Nangiomeri
Definitely one of the more easier essays to read in this collection. I loved the narrative style and enjoyed what Stanner had to say. Durmugam is an interesting character for sure.
3.5 stars

The Dreaming
The vast complexity of the Dreaming is a concept that I will never be able to fully fathom. It is amazing to even get a glimpse of a culture so balanced and unchanging over thousands of years. Although Stanner can not possibly understand this concept in 100% detail, he does a good job of explained his own limited knowledge in a comprehensible way.
3.5 stars

The Aborigines
Interesting insight into the politics behind Aboriginal rights. Got a bit dry near the end though...
3 stars

Continuity and Change Among the Aborigines
I really like the anecdotes that Stanner includes in his essays. They make them so much more engaging.
3.5 stars

Aborigines and Australian Society
He raises some really good points.
3.5 stars

Aboriginal Humour
Interesting take on humour. Really enjoyed the anecdotes.
3.5 stars

[Chris Halpin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a man