Books by Michael McKernan:
The Strength of a Nation: Six Years of Australians Fighting For the Nation and Defending the Homefront in World War II, Michael McKernan
Beryl Beaurepaire, Michael McKernan
The Valley: A Story from the Heart of the Land, Michael McKernan
Gallipoli: A Short History, Michael McKernan
This War Never Ends: Australian Pows And Families, Michael McKernan
Public Lecture
Doing History DifferentlyA while ago I was telling my excellent and thorough editor at Allen&Unwin that I had been reading the letters of Manning Clark. 'Who is Manning Clark?' this University of Sydney graduate asked. Writing a history of the ACT Brumbies some years ago one of the sharpest of the players said to me in a friendly way, 'I have no idea what you are doing. What is history?'. Those of us who have worked in History all our lives cannot assume that what we do is understood, or valued.
The resources for writing history have never been more universally available. Forget the reading rooms and libraries of the past, many of us can now do a great deal of our research online. Yet these resources are fundamentally wasted if potential consumers of history do not understand history's relevance and appeal. There is no point in hand-wringing about these things. We need to seek out solutions.
Can commercial television help? This paper looks at a ten part Channel Nine series, currently screening in prime time, history pure and simple, to see what can be done.
Michael McKernan has worked as an academic, museum historian, and has presented history on radio and television. He is a graduate of the ANU. ...
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