The Young People and the Shaping of Public Space in Melbourne, 1870-1914 by Simon Sleight

Abstract

Book Reviews 304 The Young People and the Shaping of Public Space in Melbourne, 1870-1914 Simon Sleight (2013). Farnham, Surry England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 275 pages. ISBN: 978-1-4094-3244-9 Simon Sleight’s historical account of young people in Melbourne, Australia paints a picture of the city as an adolescent itself, growing into its own and adapting to the social realities of the times. Using diaries, interviews, newspapers, and published research, Sleight provides an in-depth look at what it was like to grow up in one of Australia’s largest cities. Sleight seems well placed to write this book as a lecturer of Australian history at King’s College in London and an adjunct research associate at Monash University in Melbourne. The book focuses predominately on the Australian experience, centering on Melbourne. Although the topic is narrow, one city discussed over a 44-year period, there was a high population of young people in Australia in the late 1800s to warrant this study. Specifically, in 1871, boys and girls age 14 and under comprised 42 percent of the white Australian population, with a significant number of them in Melbourne (31). Because of this somewhat narrow focus, this work would appeal primarily to Australian scholars or those wanting to compare Melbourne to other urban settings. Additionally, with Melbourne’s current designation as a highly livable city, it may also have broader appeal to people interested in the historical context for youth in one of today’s highly regarded cities. Although the introduction rambles slightly, the book showcases its strong research backbone with a concise and well-written timeline of Melbourne’s progress and evolution. Reflecting on the city’s characteristics and layout, Sleight describes Melbourne as a youthful city that was rapidly expanding in the mid-1800s. The book equally discusses the lives of youth and the “pattern of the city’s urban frame” (131). Sleight elegantly describes this connection as the “interplay between young Melbourne—in all its pride and with its various problems—and the young people growing up there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries” (26). A primary goal of the book is to reveal new layers of urban life. In addition, Sleight concentrates on the age at which children of different classes and genders could access the public domain. Although historical accounts indicate a perception that the public domain endangered children and that youth jeopardized efforts to improve and beautify the city, Sleight argues that “young Melbournians were integral actors in the outdoor urban space” and actively “produced their own space” (50). Sleight acknowledges the difficulty in understanding the true youth experience in history since it is often described through adult perceptions. These perceptions often translate into a view of young people in public space as marginalized and invisible, comparable to gay people in New York City or indigenous people in New Book Reviews 305 South Wales (8). Yet, using detailed diary accounts and police records, Sleight reveals that young people did not confine themselves to isolated spaces, but used public space across the entire city. The historical experiences that Sleight describes often parallel current trends. For example, youth created Melbourne’s first adventure playground in 1896 when they created see-saws and play equipment with timbers and other materials left by park managers. To their credit, the park managers realized the benefits of this creative use of space and saw it as a healthy distraction from less productive (and more destructive) activities. The writing is clear and the book reads well, yet it requires a high level of concentration to absorb the detail that is included. The reader will be pleasantly rewarded with eloquent statements scattered throughout the book. For example, discussing the freedom of youth, Sleight writes, “Childhood, it is worth remembering, is the springtime of inquiry—a period when the world seems expansive and actions inconsequential” (60). Similarly, describing the impacts of race, class, and gender on access to the city, Sleight writes, “theirs was a world of scattered horizons” (68). Throughout the book, Sleight discusses many important themes, including: the impact of policies such as the 1887 Neglected Children’s Act and Juvenile Offenders Act on Melbourne...