The Enlightenment and the Origins of European Australia

John Gascoigne (University of New South Wales, Sydney), Patricia Curthoys

$74.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Cambridge University Press
04 January 2006

Humanities; History; History of ideas

This book surveys some of the key intellectual influences in the formation of Australian society by emphasising the impact of the Enlightenment with its commitment to rational enquiry and progress - attitudes which owed much to the successes of the Scientific Revolution. The first part of the book analyses the political and religious background of the period from the First Fleet (1788) to the mid nineteenth century. The second demonstrates the pervasiveness of ideas of improvement - a form of the idea of progress - originally derived from agriculture, but which were to shape attitudes to human nature in fields as diverse as education, penal discipline and race relations. Throughout, the book highlights the extent to which developments in Australia can be compared and contrasted with those in Britain and in the USA.

By: John Gascoigne (University of New South Wales Sydney)
With: Patricia Curthoys
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 245mm, Width: 190mm, Spine: 14mm
Weight: 451g
ISBN: 9780521617215
ISBN 10: 0521617219
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 04 January 2006
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

List of illustrations; Abbreviations; Preface and Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; Part I. Contexts: 2. Religion; 3. Politics; Part II. The Possibilities of Improvement: 4. The earth and its fruits; 5. Science and the land; 6. Cultivation of the mind; 7. Of crimes and punishments; 8. Race and the limits of 'improvement'; Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

John Gascoigne is Associate Professor, School of History, University of New South Wales, Sydney and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

Reviews for The Enlightenment and the Origins of European Australia

'Gascoigne's book, which is exhaustively researched and gracefully written, investigates the systems of thought that provided the basis for political and social order in a society as bastard as a convict settlement. It is a masterly study of how the ideas of Locke, Bentham and Paine suffused the institutions of the colony.' London Review of Books 'What makes Gascoigne's book such a useful and ... enlightening work is his bringing together of all the important themes and issues that dominated colonial society and demonstrating the important role the Enlightenment had to play in them ... provides an excellent insight into the intellectual underpinnings of colonial society.' Journal of Australian Colonial History 'This is a good book: informative, well researched and eminently readable.' Journal for Maritime Research