Australian Labour and Labour History

Abstract

than a little while ago. They will certainly be in dispute because no one form of marxism is agreed; probably sectarian because they will still be small groups lacking power and confined to words. Many changes demanded by the New Left have now been accepted because they met a real situation; others have been abandoned by marxists, being in effect varieties of philosophical idealism. The taking up of overseas fashions in marxism is likely to be less common as the experience accumulates to answer Australian problems. Culturally the most relevant consideration will continue to be the powerful attraction of the history of which is too deep seated to be reversed or even level off in the near future. It is a consequence of many causes, an intersection of forces which date from earlier nationalism and World War II with those that reflect the confident 1950s and 1960s and the search for a national identity in a changed world. It is sharpened by the contrast with the lack of real national independence so it embodies aspirations as well as interest in the past. The output of Australian history will make available to labour This content downloaded from 157.55.39.96 on Sat, 03 Sep 2016 03:56:50 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms AUSTRALIAN LABOUR HISTORY 133 historians much work which impinges on their own, enabling them to get closer to the ideal of writing the history of society. It will give them more scope and invite them to become more concerned with interpretations and critical reas sessment of received explanations. Some themes are likely to continue to be prominent. The complexities of the processes of class relationships and a recognition of the diversity of the Australian working class at each historical stage is one of them, linked with the formation and operation of ideologies. These will be problems of the future as well as historical phenomena. For these and for other themes it is likely that the concentration on Australia internally, which was necessary to distinguish Australian history as a field of study, will be modified by attention to Australia within world imperialism. Much scope remains for the examination of racism and current concerns will call it forth. There the parameters of the debate are already established. Women's history has an open future both in itself and for integration into wider history of society. The exercise of state power is likely to become more stringent, the existence of deprived and oppressed groups more obvious; so processes of social control and conflict will come under scrutiny. Thus the widening of labour history into social history will continue whilst much of the indiscriminate collection in the name of social history drops into the category of reportage. The ebbing of the voguish element will leave behind a fruitfully broadened field of subject matter and a heightened awareness of social relations. I have been referring to prospects in academic labour history. I would foresee a fairly spontaneous growth of popular labour history of many types, merging into oral history, arising from shared experiences ? political, work, local. This could become common without any strong organization being necessary. I assume that all the existing types of labour history will continue, as will the pluralist situation in which they coexist. Nothing lasts forever, but I am referring to a period (how long I would not attempt to guess) without dramatic changes politically or ideologically: a period that should witness an extension and strengthening of labour history. That in turn will test existing organiza tions. There are limits to the central role of History and its parent society as the whole labour history scene becomes larger and more diversified. No doubt groups with some degree of cohesion and political commitment will be able to present their own historiography. At the same time labour historians are gaining a larger place in the writing of history as a whole. Both processes will continue. / am indebted to Dr. John Merritt for making available to me his chapter, Labour in New History, G. Osborne and W.F. Mandle (eds.). I have also drawn on a paper, Labour History in Australia, by E.C. Fry and A.B. Davidson, presented at a World Forum on History, Paris, 1980. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.96 on Sat, 03 Sep 2016 03:56:50 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 134 LABOUR/LE TRAVAILLEUR