Provocations: Arguing about History

The Friends of the National Library of Australia present an opportunity to question two of Australia’s most eminent and most productive historians. Professor Frank Bongiorno and Professor Peter Stanley will think aloud about where Australian history is now and where it is going.

The session will be moderated by Dr Anne-Marie Schwirtlich, a former Director-General of the National Library.

To pigeon-hole the two historians is impossible. Frank’s ‘Sex Lives of Australians’ (ACT Book of the Year 2013) and Peter’s ‘Bad Characters’ (recipient of the Prime Minister’s History Award 2011) take us into the private lives of Australians. Do these two historians have anything else in common? One a social/political historian, the other a military historian. You can explore with them how they see and write history.

Join the Friends for a night that will be thought-provoking, informative and fun. Come with your questions and be ready to argue and provoke!