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'Leichhardt has been employed for all sorts of political purposes. In imperial Germany, he was a symbol of pure science, but also a bolster for colonialism. In the 20th century, he became a Nazi icon, a proto-socialist, the model for the protagonist of Nobel laureate Patrick White's famous novel Voss, as well as a harbinger of multiculturalism. He has also been put to use by Australian Indigenous cultures. Engaging Leichhardt's ghosts and those who have sought him yields a fascinating case study of German entanglement in British colonialism in Australia. It also shows how figures from the colonial past feature in German and Australian social memory and serve present-day purposes. In an abstract sense, this book uses Leichhardt to explore what happens when we maintain an open stance to the ghosts of the past.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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[Review] Ludwig Leichhardt's Ghosts: The Strange Career of a Traveling Myth
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Journal of Politics and History , September vol. 65 no. 3 2019; (p. 482-483)
— Review of Ludwig Leichhardt's Ghosts : The Strange Career of a Traveling Myth 2018 single work biography'The Prussian explorer and scientist Ludwig Leichhardt's mysterious disappearance in 1848 after he set out to cross the Australian continent has intrigued, captured imaginations and been appropriated by such diverse groups as Nazi party members during the Third Reich and botanists in nineteenth‐century Australia. What happened to Leichhardt has not been resolved and Andrew Wright Hurley does not attempt to solve the mystery. Rather, the author examines how, why, and where Leichardt's story has endured, by whom the myth has been taken up and how these entanglements have interpenetrated each other.' (Publication summary)
-
[Review] Ludwig Leichhardt's Ghosts: The Strange Career of a Traveling Myth
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Journal of Politics and History , September vol. 65 no. 3 2019; (p. 482-483)
— Review of Ludwig Leichhardt's Ghosts : The Strange Career of a Traveling Myth 2018 single work biography'The Prussian explorer and scientist Ludwig Leichhardt's mysterious disappearance in 1848 after he set out to cross the Australian continent has intrigued, captured imaginations and been appropriated by such diverse groups as Nazi party members during the Third Reich and botanists in nineteenth‐century Australia. What happened to Leichhardt has not been resolved and Andrew Wright Hurley does not attempt to solve the mystery. Rather, the author examines how, why, and where Leichardt's story has endured, by whom the myth has been taken up and how these entanglements have interpenetrated each other.' (Publication summary)