252 years ago, on 28 April 1770, James Cook landed on the Australian shore and claimed the land for the British crown, an act that would ultimately lead to the colonisation of the continent and the dispossession of Australia's Indigenous peoples. The British treated Australia as 'Terra Nullius', which means nobody's or unowned land, although Indigenous Australians were on the continent for thousands of years prior to colonisation and even were in contact with other tradespeople and explorers. The anniversary of Cook's arrival provides us with the chance to engage with texts, images and films dealing with arrivals, first encounters and explorations of various kinds, from the pre-colonial era to the present day, while reflecting critically on commemorative events in Australia. This semester's seminar, Exploring Australia I, will focus on first encounters to the circumnavigation of Australia in the early 19th Century.
- Lehrende(r): Lena Busch
- Lehrende(r): Patricia Plummer