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Joshua Black Joshua Black i(19132436 works by)
Gender: Male
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Works By

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1 ‘A Historian’s Diary’ : Autobiography, Life Writing and Neal Blewett’s A Cabinet Diary Revisited Joshua Black , 2021 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Journal of Biography and History , August no. 5 2021; (p. 49-68) '‘Are you, in fact, a historian?’ I have been confronted with that question more than once with respect to studies of political biography and memoir. Experts in fields ranging from English literature and memory studies to cultural studies have suggested to me, almost casually, that a sophisticated analysis of the political memoir or diary can only take place within the framework of autobiographical or memory theory. One cultural studies specialist proposed that these texts belonged within the remit of New Historicism, a branch of literary analysis that assumes that ‘literary texts can in fact tell us something about the world outside of the text’. In another instance, a conference attendee mused that this kind of research could not constitute the work of a historian, but was instead a facet of the broader field of life writing. The relationship between history and biography—including political biography— remains complex and contested, with the former both shunning and occasionally embracing the latter. Studies of the political memoir and diary genres are, I would suggest, even more fraught with intellectual uncertainty.' (Introduction)
1 Preface Joshua Black , Stephen Wilks , 2021 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Journal of Biography and History , August no. 5 2021; (p. v-ix) 'The relative decline of political history as a sub-discipline of history has not been matched by any evident decline in political biography. Quite the opposite, in fact, particularly among general readers. Perhaps this is due to its capacity for drama and for the high degree of human agency in political events. Yet political biography has long occupied an uneasy position on the spectrum of academic genres of writing. Gone are the days when all of human history was considered simply a story of great men and their deeds. Importantly, we no longer consider the ‘political’ as expressly limited to the realm of mass parties and national legislatures; as Michelle Arrow has comprehensively demonstrated, a popular catchphrase of 1970s Australia— ‘the personal is political’—ran directly counter to the notion of a neat and separable division between public and private selves.' (Introduction)
1 ‘Think Global, Act Local’ : Cathy McGowan’s Colourful Political Memoir Joshua Black , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , January–February no. 428 2021; (p. 37-38)
— Review of Cathy Goes to Canberra : Doing Politics Differently Cathy McGowan , 2020 single work autobiography
1 y separately published work icon Joshua Black on Susan Ryan, a Pioneering Politician Joshua Black (presenter), Southbank : Australian Book Review, Inc. , 2020 23439740 2020 single work podcast

'In today's episode, Joshua Black reads his tribute to former Labor senator Susan Ryan, featured in our November issue. Ryan was a historic figure in Australian politics: she was the first woman from the ALP to serve in cabinet, and cemented her legacy with the Sex Discrimination Act (1984) – which prohibited sexual discrimination in the workplace. Here, Black recounts his interview with the pioneering politician only weeks before her death on 27 September 2020.' (Production summary)

1 After the Waves : A Tribute to a Pioneering Labor Feminist Joshua Black , 2020 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 426 2020; (p. 50-51)

'Susan Ryan was a formidable storyteller. Her stories communicated her values and her world view, her commitment to the pursuit of a more egalitarian society. Hers was a powerful form of communication, capable of questioning and challenging the inadequacies of the masculinist, class-exclusive ‘fair go’ of postwar Australian society.' (Introduction)
1 Secrets and Scandals : Where Malcolm Turnbull’s Memoir Fits in the Rich History of Prime Ministerial Books Joshua Black , 2020 single work column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 22 April 2020;

'Landing in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, it may seem strange former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s memoir has generated so much political controversy.'  (Introduction)
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