Book Review - A History of South Australia

Hello everyone! It’s been two months since my last post, and for that I apologize. It’s also been a very slow reading and reviewing year so far — I’ve only covered nine books year-to-date. That’s hardly a lot of reading for me - over the last couple of years nine books for me has been close to the typical number for a single month.

So, what happened? Well, as some of you may know, my husband and I spent much of the winter visiting with family in warmer climes. We packed a lot into those winter months, including my writing of a travel blog for friends and family. With all of that going on I let my reading and reviewing fall by the wayside, and it’s been a challenge to pick it back up.

But here I am with another review so that means I’m giving it another go. My goal is to read at least 50 books this year, which is half of my reading pace over the last two years.

I’m also taking this opportunity to try something new to get my book reviews out to you - I’m switching from a blog to a newsletter as the home for my reviews. Beehiiv, the new home for my reviews, is a tool I’m using in other areas of my life, and so far I like it a lot. I’ve imported all my content from my blog here so it’s still all in one place.

So enough about me. Let’s get on with the review….

With only eleven chapters, and at under 250 pages long (without the index), this relatively slim volume manages to offer a comprehensive overview of the history of Australia’s fourth largest state. A History of South Australia is written by two professors from the University of Adelaide. Together they cover the period from the Aboriginal occupation of the land to the present day, with chapters on topics such as exploration, colonization, federation, war, social movements, economic development and contemporary challenges.

South Australia considers itself unique among Australian states. The colony of South Australia was the only British Australian colony that never accepted convict settlement from the Mother Country. Later, in the 20th century, South Australia took a leadership role in pioneering a new form of government, exercising what we today would call an overt, strong industrial policy, favoring some industries over others. Sometimes this worked to the states benefit, but the authors argue ultimately it worked to its detriment.

The book is well-researched and informative, drawing on a wide range of sources and perspectives. The authors do a good job of highlighting the diversity and complexity of South Australian history, as well as its connections to national and global events. There are a sprinkling of illustrations, photos and maps that lend context to the subject matter. The text is written in a clear and accessible style that makes it suitable for general readers as well as students or scholars.

Given its length what you get with in this volume is only an overview. A lot of ground is covered in a relatively short space, which means that some topics are only briefly mentioned or glossed over. For example, the book tends to focus more on the political and economic aspects of South Australia’s history rather than the social and cultural ones. How ordinary people lived, worked, played and interacted in different periods and contexts is hinted at but not explored in any depth.

Having said that, I found Sendziuk and Foster’s A History of South Australia to be a solid and informative introduction to the state's history that will appeal to anyone who wants to learn more about this interesting part of Australia.

RATING: Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Title: A History of South Australia

Authors: Paul Sendziuk and Robert Foster

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Publish Date: May 16, 2018

ISBN-13: 9781107623651

Publisher’s List Price: $34.95