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A short history of the 1948 Arnhem Land Expedition

Bibliographic Data

ID9340985
AuthorsMartin Thomas (0000-0002-2261-5888, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume34
Publication date2011-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAboriginal History Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0314-8769 • E-ISSN: 1837-9389
PublisherANU Press (PUBLISHER • AU)
DOI10.22459/ah.34.2011.06
OpenAlexW2199876909
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited9

The American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land is sometimes referred to as the 'last of the big expeditions'. Despite the hype (and there was plenty of that), exploration -at least in the terrestrial sense -was not its purpose. Rather, it was the frontier of knowledge that members of the Expedition hoped to penetrate. This involved co-ordinated study of both the natural environment and its Aboriginal inhabitants. Occurring in the aftermath of World War II, the Arnhem Land Expedition was a watershed event, emblematic of broader transformations in Australia and beyond. In terms of diplomatic objectives, it reflected the desire of Ben Chifley's Labor Government, then in its last days, to shore up the relationship with the United States through an overt display of collaboration between the two nations. Widely reported in the press, and transmitted to the world through film, radio and print media, this 'friendly mission' was a public face to behind-the-scenes negotiations that would shape the trans-Pacific relationship for the remainder of the twentieth century. 1 Domestic support for the Arnhem Land Expedition is indicative of the pro-American sentiments of Australia's major political parties, then adjusting to a post-war climate of decolonisation and the demise of Britain as a global power. It was Chifley's successor, Robert Menzies, who signed the Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS) in 1951

Archaeology · Art · Geography · Media studies · Project commissioning · Publishing · Sociology · Australian Indigenous Culture and History · Engineering · History · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

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Unique citing works7
Citations per year0,54
Citation span2013 - 2022 (10)
Citation velocityhistorical
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 6

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