Michael McDonnell

Free access (for a bit) to our article in The Public Historian, co-authored with a fabulous former student, Darcy Campbell. The article is about History Beyond the Classroom, a community-engaged public history class that Darcy took - and helped shape.

online.ucpress.edu/tph/article/...

Publication day! My article on how to read an 18C newspapers, on digital remediation, and on the unfree press out in the world. Thanks @andy-schocket.bsky.social @historymatterssyd.bsky.social & M. Karrs for making it all possible. @universitypress.cambridge.org
lnkd.in/eEwbdbSw

Colonel George Johnson Fellowship in Australian History A 12-month fixed-term opportunity at 0.8FTE, with the possibility of variation work Inviting applications for the 2026 Colonel George Johnston Fellowship in Australian History Base Salary Level A $109...

One year postdoc in Australian history at Sydney Uni - details below. It’s a very short window - please spread among networks

Might suit someone already in the GLAM sector who wants to work on their research/practice - all applications welcome of course

usyd.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/USYD_EXTERNA...

Journalism Betrayed: Reporting on Modern Day Genocide No registration required. All welcome.

Join us at the University for a critical and timely talk by Chris Hedges….free and open to all.

www.powerfulstories.org/post/journal...

There will always be something to prompt Israel to decide to restrict aid.

Reimagining Community Engaged Research and Practice: Dialogues Between Early Career Researchers and Community Practitioners Organised by The Powerful Stories Network (PSN)This event is supported by an EMCR Training Grant from the Researcher Development Unit in the Research Portfolio and, co-sponsored by the Past and Presen...

EMCR training event that brings together an amazing array of community practitioners and engaged academics to discuss the challenges and opportunities of doing community-engaged research. For our full line-up and a link to register, see the webpage below.

www.powerfulstories.org/post/reimagi...

Book Launch and Discussion | Akuch Anyieth | Decolonising the Law in African-Australian Communities The Powerful Stories Network along with the Past and Present Research Cluster at the Vere Gordon Childe Centre at the University of Sydney are delighted to invite you to a discussion of award-winning ...

Come join us for a discussion of this critically important issue, brilliantly illuminated by Dr Akuch Anyieth. For full details of this interdisciplinary discussion and panel, see…

www.powerfulstories.org/post/book-la...

‘We took the gloves off’: ex-IDF chief confirms Gaza casualties over 200,000 Retired general Herzi Halevi says ‘not once’ had legal advice constrained Israel’s military decisions in the strip

Thugs, liars and genocidal war criminals. This is what we’re not allowed to condemn and protest at Universities in Australia. Our managers are moral cowards and wonder why so few staff have any confidence in their so called leadership and vision.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Israel’s top court says government is not giving Palestinian prisoners enough food Justices rule state is legally obliged to ensure ‘basic level of existence’ and orders authorities to improve nutrition

Let’s just keep putting it out there….war crimes and human rights abuses abound. If this was any other country in the world, there would be sanctions at a minimum.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Dr Rebecca Sheehan | A Mixed Inheritance: Ancestral Callings, Archival Hauntings, and the Legacy of Miscegenation in Nineteenth Century Sarawak History on Wednesdays - Sept 10  Wed, 10 Sep, 12:10pm - 1:30pm AEST 8th Floor Common Room, Brennan Building, University of SydneyA Powerful Stories Network and the Vere Gordon Childe Centre for the St...

www.powerfulstories.org/post/dr-rebe...

Living Histories: First Nations Creatives and Researchers in conversation - History Week 2025 This panel brings together First Nations creatives and history-makers to discuss how they weave cultural, family, and community histories into their work. The panel will explore how “living histories”...

www.powerfulstories.org/post/living-...

PM says 'good people' attended anti-immigration rallies but Neo-Nazis have 'no role' — as it happened Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says "good people" attended anti-immigration rallies over the weekend.

Sure sounds like something Trump would say. Oh wait….

Is this all he has said? Really?

@AlboMP you and your fellow puppets are squandering a mandate to actually act. Grow up.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

So excited to interview these three historians tonight as part of the 2025 George Arnold Wood Memorial lecture @usyd-humanities.bsky.social @historymatterssyd.bsky.social

2025 Wood Memorial History Lecture Wed, 27 Aug, 5:30pm - 7:30pm AEST Chau Chak Wing MuseumCamperdown NSW, Australia  Event description 'Creative Histories: A Conversation'With Shauna Bostock, Andre Dao, Katerina Teaiwa, and Sophie Loy-...

www.powerfulstories.org/post/2025-wo...

EVENT REMINDER:
History on Wednesday | August 27

Burning the House Down: Arson and Aboriginal Resistance in Settler Colonial Australia

Professor Victoria Haskins | University of Newcastle
12.10pm - 1.30pm | Vere Gordon Childe Centre (F09) and Zoom

t.e2ma.net/message/gt20...

Famine set to be officially declared in Gaza for first time by UN-backed group – Israel-Gaza war latest updates The system for classifying food insecurity has been used to declare just four famines since it was established in 2004

At this stage the headlines should just be a constant stream of “Israel adds more atrocities to the list of war crimes it should be prosecuted for”

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Revealed: Israeli military’s own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war Figures from classified IDF database listed 8,900 named fighters as dead or probably dead in May, as overall death toll reached 53,000

Sickening. And likely still not accurate given the IDF’s propensity to call just about anyone they want a combatant. Netanyahu is a war criminal. We need to stop aiding and abetting this, now.

www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

Billions in Israel defence contracts put Australia at risk - Michael West The Australian Government risks breaking international law splashing billions in public money on Israel weapons deals

The Australian Defence Force having billions in Israel defence contracts puts Australia at risk - military, ethically and legally michaelwest.com.au/billions-in-... via @michaelwestbiz.bsky.social

Australia hits back at Netanyahu amid escalating diplomatic row over Gaza Australia’s Home Affairs minister says ‘strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up’.

Australia’s Home Affairs minister says ‘strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up’.

University of Melbourne breached students’ privacy by using wifi network to monitor pro-Palestine protest Victoria’s deputy information commissioner finds university did not give adequate notice or justification for how location data would be used

Uni managers are so completely out of control. They do what they like, are accountable to no one, and simply focus on chasing big salaries.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Help USyd Palestine advocates defeat Israel Lobby legal attack! Dr Nick Riemer and Professor John Keane are academics at the University of Sydney and long-time advocates of freedom and justice for Palestinians. Since October 7, in articles, on social media and at ...

Please help with this campaign - to protect our right to demand an end to the genocide in Gaza. My colleagues at Usyd are under attack.

chuffed.org/project/1432...

The ultra-wealthy have exploited Australia’s tax system for too long. It’s time to ensure everyone pays their fair share | Sally McManus When the very wealthy pay less tax than a bus driver or an aged care worker, something is very wrong

The ultra-wealthy have exploited Australia’s tax system for too long. It’s time to ensure everyone pays their fair share

By @sallymcmanus.bsky.social

#auspol

Israeli unit tasked with smearing Gaza journalists as Hamas fighters – report Israeli-Palestinian magazine says IDF ‘legitimisation cell’ set up to blunt global outrage over killing of media staff

The behaviour of a pariah state. It’s not complicated.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

So very excited about the next History Now panel - a collaboration with the Wood Memorial lecture by the Discipline of History at @sydney.edu.au
Thanks @historymatterssyd.bsky.social
Tickets are selling fast

Uni staff told to 'wash delicates' for stress management as 146 courses suspended The University of Technology Sydney is suspending more than 100 courses as it prepares for a controversial redundancy program to save $100 million.

I have almost run out of things to say about the people running Australian universities www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

our judges' comments were: A bold and intellectually rich contribution to historical storytelling, this series tackles the inherent challenge of discussing visual sources in an audio format with ingenuity and sensitivity, vividly evoking colonial portraits for listeners without relying on visuals. By combining expert narration with scholarly and Indigenous voices, the series decodes artworks that span continents and centuries, situating Australian examples within the global processes of empire and colonialism. The series exemplifies original, decolonising historical work, challenging Eurocentric readings and expanding historical consciousness through cross-cultural and transnational perspectives. Particularly striking are the discussions with Indigenous scholars, which reframe the meaning and significance of colonial images and, importantly, ask what use such images are in the present day. The series’ analytical depth, emotional resonance, and imaginative use of sound make it a standout example of how non-print media can powerfully reframe public understanding of the past.

@historymatterssyd.bsky.social and I are delighted to see the UNSETTLING PORTRAITS podcast get Highly Commended in these Digital History Awards! www.sl.nsw.gov.au/awards/nsw-h... (link to the podcast in this linked page)

How one of the world's most prestigious universities fell from grace The prestige of the Australian National University is fast fading. It must now respond to explosive allegations.

All cuts, at all Unis, should be stopped until the rot at the top of every single one of them has been thoroughly examined.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

Albanese is crying poor, but we’re losing billions a year from untaxed gas It’s likely much will be said, but little done, at next week’s economic roundtable.

The Australia Institute, Dr Richard Denniss, caused a stir by claiming that the government takes more money from uni students through HECS than it collects from the petroleum resource rent tax. Verified by ABC fact checkers. Time to change that. #auspol #gastax #product ...

White Australian Nazis are planning an anti-immigration “March for Australia”.

I’ll say that again: white fellas are complaining about migrants to Australia.

Academic labels Julie Bishop ‘hostile and arrogant’ in tearful evidence to ANU inquiry Liz Allen alleged she was ‘bullied into near suicide’ at the institution

Completely untenable. No leadership just inexcusable behaviour www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...