RAHS Day Lecture – The Rupturing and Rebuilding of Aboriginal Worlds in Victoria

Event Date & Time: Wednesday, 4 November 2026 @ 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm

Event Location: Online only via Zoom

Cost: Free

Event Description:

This presentation begins with a brief discussion of the traditional world of First Nations peoples in Victoria through some of their land management techniques to glimpse what was before colonialism. It discusses the rupture of this world by legal, practical and moral claims made by colonisers; by the devastating impact of the frontier; and by the colonial policies that followed over 150+ years. It then examines Aboriginal agency and responses to colonisation to this day, focussing on case studies of individuals.

About the speaker:

Emeritus Professor Richard Broome AM, FAHA, FRHSV, FAHS taught Australian and Indigenous History at La Trobe University for over three decades, retiring in 2012. He then served on the RHSV Council for twelve years, including six as President. He is currently co-editor of the Victorian Historical Journal. Richard is the author/co-author of twenty books, including Aboriginal Australians: A History since 1788 (5th edition, 2019) and the multi-prize-winning Aboriginal Victorians: A History since 1800 (2nd edition, 2024). He is currently co-editor of a large multi-team project in Aboriginal History that tells stories of Aboriginal Australia as related by Indigenous communities across the continent, to be published by Routledge in four volumes.