Books published by Sydney University Press

The Orontes Valley in western Syria is a land ''in between'', positioned between the small trading centres of the coast and the huge urban agglomerations of the Euphrates Valley and the Syro-Mesopotamian plains beyond. As such, it provides a critical missing link in our understanding of the archaeology of this region in the early urban age.A Land in Between documents the material culture and socio-political relationships of the Orontes Valley and its neighbours from the fourth through to the second millennium BCE. The authors demonstrate that the valley was an important conduit for the exchange of knowledge and goods that fuelled the first urban age in western Syria. This lays the foundation for a comparative perspective, providing a clearer understanding of key differences between the Orontes region and its neighbours, and insights into how patterns of material and political association changed over time.

Memory and Foresight in the Celtic World delves deep into the experience of Celtic communities and individuals in the late medieval period through to the modern age. Its thirteen essays range widely, from Scottish soldiers in France in the fifteenth century to Gaelic-speaking communities in rural New South Wales in the twentieth, and expatriate Irish dancers in the twenty-first. Connecting them are the recurring themes of memory and foresight: how have Celtic communities maintained connections to the past while keeping an eye on the future?Chapters explore language loss and preservation in Celtic countries and among Celtic migrant communities, and the influence of Celtic culture on writers such as Dylan Thomas and James Joyce. In Australia, how have Irish, Welsh and Scottish migrants engaged with the politics and culture of their home countries, and how has the idea of a Celtic identity changed over time?Drawing on anthropology, architecture, history, linguistics, literature and philosophy, Memory and Foresight in the Celtic World offers diverse, thought-provoking insights into Celtic culture and identity.

'With the global zoonotic pandemic and biodiversity crisis in our hands, this book is timely and extremely valuable in this era of mass extinction.' * Trace: Journal of Human-Animal Studies *

Tribute and Trade: China and Global Modernity explores encounters between China and the West during this period and beyond, into the early 20th century, through examples drawn from art, literature, science, politics, music, cooking, clothing and more.

Letters to Australia is a collection of Julius Stone's radio talks, originally broadcast by the ABC between 1942 and 1972.

Gail Jones: Word, Image, Ethics is an accessible guide to the writings of the award-winning Australian author Gail Jones.

This book documents cross-cultural collaboration between manikay singers from south-east Arnhem Land and the Australian Art Orchestra. The interwoven voices of the project are explored as an example of creative intercultural collaboration and a continuation of the manikay tradition.

'Fallen Among Reformers' focuses on Stella Miles Franklin's New Woman protest literature written during her time in Chicago with the National Women's Trade Union League (1906-1915).

Letters to Australia is a collection of Julius Stone's radio talks, originally broadcast by the ABC between 1942 and 1972.

The Cost of War examines the effects of combat, the emotional and physical scars borne by returned men and women, the impact on their families and friends, and the efforts of Australians to understand the physical, psychological, and cultural wounds of war.

Based on ten years of surveys and excavations in Nyiyaparli country in the eastern Chichester Ranges, north-west Australia, Crafting Country provides a unique synthesis of Holocene archaeology in the Pilbara region.

Gerald Murnane: Another World in This One coincides with a renewed interest in his work. It includes an important new essay by Murnane himself, alongside chapters by established and emerging literary critics from Australia and internationally. Together they provide a stimulating reassessment of Murnane's diverse body of work.

Archival Returns: Central Australia and Beyond explores the strategies and practices by which cultural heritage materials can be returned to their communities of origin, and the issues this process raises for communities, as well as for museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions.

Letters to Australia is a collection of Julius Stone's radio talks, originally broadcast by the ABC between 1942 and 1972.

This is the first critical study to focus on Stead's time in America and its influence on her writing.

The issue of Indigenous identity has gained more attention in recent years from social science scholars, yet much of the discussions still centre on the politics of belonging or not belonging. While these recent discussions in part speak to the complicated and contested nature of Indigeneity, both those who claim Indigenous identity and those who write about it seem to fall into a paradox of acknowledging its complexity on the one hand, while on the other hand reifying notions of 'tradition' and 'authentic cultural expression' as core features of an Indigenous identity. Since identity theorists generally agree that who we understand ourselves to be is as much a function of the time and place in which we live as it is about who we and others say we are, this scholarship does not progress our knowledge on the contemporary characteristics of Indigenous identity formations.The range of international scholars in this volume have begun an approach to the contemporary identity issues from very different perspectives, although collectively they all push the boundaries of the scholarship that relate to identities of Indigenous people in various contexts from around the world. Their essays provide at times provocative insights as the authors write about their own experiences and as they seek to answer the hard questions: Are emergent identities newly constructed identities that emerge as a function of historical moments, places, and social forces? If so, what is it that helps to forge these identities and what helps them to retain markers of Indigeneity? And what are some of the challenges (both from outside and within groups) that Indigenous individuals face as they negotiate the line between 'authentic' cultural expression and emergent identities? Is there anything to be learned from the ways in which these identities are performed throughout the world among Indigenous groups? Indeed why do we assume claims to multiple racial or ethnic identities limits one's Indigenous identity? The question at the heart of our enquiry about the emerging Indigenous identities is when is it the right time to say me, us, we… them?

Genocide isn't past tense - and the Nazi and Bosnian eras are not yet closed. The demonising of people as 'unworthy' and expendable is ever-present and the consequences are all too evident in the daily news. These fourteen essays by Australian scholars confront the issues

Against the backdrop of embryonic Melbourne, John Thomas Smith left behind his currency roots to become an influential member of society. A widely recognised figure about town smoking a cutty pipe and wearing a white top hat, in 1851 he became Lord Mayor of Melbourne; he went on to be re-elected seven times. His scandalous marriage to the daughter of an Irish Catholic publican, however, and his awkwardly appropriated gentility, made him unpopular with certain sections of society. From 1849 to 1860 Smith and his family occupied 300 Queen Street, Melbourne, one of the first true residential townhouses in the city. Flashy, Fun and Functional: How Things Helped to Invent Melbourne's Gold Rush Mayor explores the things they left behind.Excavations at the site in 1982 by Judy Birmingham and Associates uncovered a rich and important archaeological record of the Smiths' lives in the form of a cesspit rubbish deposit. The recovered artefacts can be used to examine the distinctive way the Smith family used material culture to negotiate their position in colonial society. Popular decoration styles and expensive materials suggest the family's efforts to secure their newly obtained social status. The artefacts evoke the turmoil, volatility and opportunity of life in the first decades of the colony at Port Phillip. They provide an example of the possibility of social mobility in the colony, but also of the challenges of navigating the customs of a newly forming society.

Obaysch: A Hippopotamus in Victorian London is the story of Obaysch the hippopotamus, the first 'star' animal to be exhibited in the London Zoo. Uncovering the circumstances of Obaysch's capture and exhibition, this book investigates the notion of a 'star' animal, as well as the cultural value that Obaysch accumulated.

Letters to Australia is a collection of Julius Stone's radio talks, originally broadcast by the ABC between 1942 and 1972.

The first novel of the Chinese Australian experience, it is a roller-coaster tale of blackmail, murder, betrayal and even thylacine attack, partly based on real people, places and events.

One Planet, One Health provides a multidisciplinary reflection on the state of our planet, human and animal health, as well as the critical effects of climate change on the environment and on people. Climate change is already affecting many poor communities and traditional aid programs have achieved relatively small gains. Going beyond the narrow disciplinary lens and an exclusive focus on human health, a planetary health approach puts the ecosystem at the centre. The contributors to One Planet, One Health argue that maintaining and restoring ecosystem resilience should be a core priority, carried out in partnership with local communities.One Planet, One Health offers an integrated approach to improving the health of the planet and its inhabitants. With chapters on ethics, research and governance, as well as case studies of government and international aid-agency responses to illustrate successes and failures, the book aims to help scholars, governments and non-governmental organisations understand the benefits of focusing on the interdependence of human and animal health, food, water security and land care.

Songs from the Stations documents the vibrant ceremonial practices and musical traditions that flourished on Wave Hill Station during the first half of the 20th century, combining desert and Top End musical styles with influences from the West.

For nearly a millennium, universities have searched for knowledge, understanding and truth. Max Bennett evaluates the work of 20 of the greatest scholars in the University of Sydney's history and shows how this university's search has advanced society in manifold ways.

The Flight of Birds is a collection of fictional and ficto-critical stories, presenting encounters with a range of birds. Embedded in the fictional encounters is a philosophical and theoretical investigation into the ways humans engage with birds.

Richard Flanagan: Critical Essays is the first collection of critical writing on Flanagan's fiction. Featuring 12 essays from leading scholars, this volume offers new insights on how his native Tasmania has influenced Flanagan as a writer, and the impact that he has had on Australian and world literature.

This groundbreaking book reports on almost three decades of excavations conducted on the Commonwealth Block - the area of central Melbourne bordered by Little Lonsdale, Lonsdale, Exhibition and Spring streets.

In 1789, as the Bounty was sailing through the western Pacific Ocean on its return voyage with a cargo of Tahitian plants, disgruntled crewmen seized control of the ship from their captain. The mutineers set their captain and the 18 men who remained loyal to him adrift in one of the ship's boats, with minimal food supplied and navigational aids, and only four cutlasses for weapons.For the past 225 years, the story of the Bounty's voyage has captured the public's imagination. Two compelling characters emerge at the forefront of the mutiny: Lieutenant William Bligh, and his deputy - and ringleader of the mutiny - Acting Lieutenant Fletcher Christian. One is a villain and the other a hero - who plays each role depends on how you view the story. With multiple narratives and incomplete information, some paint Bligh as tyrannical and abusive, and Christian as his deputy who broke under extreme emotional pressure. Others view Bligh as a victim and a hero, and Christian self-indulgent and underhanded. Alan Frost looks past these common narrative structures to shed new light on what truly happened during the infamous expedition. Reviewing previous accounts and explanations of the voyage and subsequent mutiny, and placing it within a broader historical context, Frost investigates the mayhem, mutiny and mythology of the Bounty.