Traditional Historiography Research Articles

The development of the research on the history of libraries: a handful of reflections from the French perspective

Studies on the history of libraries as a research field within a domain of the French historiographic tradition first appeared towards the end of the 1980s. Its theoretical underpinnings were in fact provided by the existing studies on the history of books and the founding works by Henri-Jean Martin (1924–2007). Despite a sizeable number of publications following the publication of the Histoire des bibliothèques françaises (Paris, 1988–1992, 4 vols.), this particular research area somehow failed to take advantage of the dynamics generally attributed to works on the history of books. Largely focusing on institutional and present-day issues, a substantial portion of the study on the history of libraries continued for a long time to be isolated and dominated by library-based authors only. A change in this situation came as late as the first decade of the 21st century and was greatly influenced by the works of the recently deceased historian Frédéric Barbier (1952–2023). Since that time, we have been witnessing a significant widening of perspectives, very much in line with the wish expressed by F. Barbier himself in his Histoire des bibliothèques en Occident (ed. I, Paris, 2013). This area of research (history of libraries) attracts interests of more and more researchers and has become a transnational domain at the pan-European level. The present research study documents these cultural and timeless transitions (challenging the perceived divisions between the Middle Ages and the Ancien Régime, and the Ancien Régime and modern times), and thus becoming multidisciplinary as well as interdisciplinary studies that integrate a number of disciplines (political history, social history, history of culture, architecture, etc.). At the same time, research on the history of libraries retains a strong relationship with studies on the history of books and media. The position and standing of libraries, that went through profound transformations due to both cuts in their budgets and the implications of the digital revolution in the first years of the 21st century, seems to be endangered, both as an institution and a place. However, their purpose in modern democracy is not outdated and they still perform a significant mission by making it possible for all to have equal access to cultural resources and media. Libraries provide non-vertical mediation (i.e. cataloguing and metadata creation, classification and storage …), that is still essential to make data and documents available. They continue to accommodate in one cultural space – that becomes more and more comfortable and friendly – both readers and visitors that learn to “live together” within this space, conforming at the same time to applicable rules and regulations. Despite their seemingly disadvantageous situation, one may though assume that modern libraries will continue to provide fresh and stimulating material for historical research for long years to come

Image of Gorizia’s Healthy Environment and of Gorizia as the “Austrian Nice” between Enlightenment and Nationalisms

Carl von Czörnig’s image of Gorizia and its surroundings as the “Austrian Nice” or, more precisely, his work Görz Oesterreich’s Nizza; nebst einer Darstellung des Landes Görz und Gradisca (1873–1874) contributed to the development of the climatic health resort in Gorizia. The belief in the healthy climate and clean waters of the Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca was already present and also attracted some respectable, albeit few, visitors. The scientific basis of this belief very likely comes from the work Clima Goritiense (1781), written by Anton Muznik, chief provincial physician of the Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca. Czörnig’s work, which connects several historiographical traditions of the wider area, belongs to the period of increasing national conflicts. In the context of Central European multi-ethnic areas of the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, national relations should also be taken into consideration when researching the tourist development of a certain destination or, better yet, its stagnation.

«Вторники» и «Воскресенья»: к вопросу о существовании братства «Христос и Свобода»

The article is devoted to the study of one of the main controversial points in the historiography of the largest post-revolutionary religious and philosophical association of Petrograd-Leningrad in the 1920s - "Voskresen’ya". This issue is connected with the history of the brotherhood "Hristos i Svoboda" ("Christ and Freedom"), created, according to the established historiographical tradition, at the religious and philosophical circle "Voskresen’ya". It was revealed that the only source through which we learn about the existence of this "brotherhood" are the memories of E.N. Fedotova. Other sources do not contain a word about this "brotherhood". It is not mentioned either in the investigative materials or in the memoirs of the participants of the "Voskresen’ya". Almost all researchers of the history of "Voskresen’ya" ignore this moment, and only two articles express doubts about the existence of this brotherhood, which are not supported by evidence.In this study, an attempt is made to consider this issue more closely than it was done earlier. All currently available sources on the history of religious and philosophical associations - "Vtorniki" and "Voskresen’ya" – were reviewed and analyzed. As a result of the analysis of the historiography of the issue, errors and inaccuracies existing in the works of researchers related to the history of "Vtorniki" and "Voskresen’ya" were revealed. As a result of the application of the comparative historical method, it was possible to reveal that all publications mentioning the "brotherhood" unreasonably call it the brotherhood "Hristos i Svoboda", ignoring the fact that there is no information in the source to support this judgment, since E.N. Fedotova mentions precisely the "brotherhood with the vow "Christ and Freedom", without a clear designation of its name.It was revealed that the vow "Christ and Freedom" mentioned by E.N. Fedotova really took place within the framework of the activities of the "Voskresen’ya". The combination of these words in the updated program of "Voskresen’ya" from 1928, as well as a number of other indirect facts, allowed us to draw a parallel and put a sign of identity between the brotherhood "Hristos i Svoboda" and "Voskresen’ya". On the basis of indirect signs, the fact of inaccuracies and unreliable facts in the memoirs of E.N. Fedotova, it was assumed that the message about the "brotherhood" was based on the erroneous ideas of E.N. Fedotova. Since her husband G.P. Fedotov participated in the meetings of the Brotherhood of St. Sophia in Petrograd, it remains likely that years later E.N. Fedotova could have mistakenly used the word "brotherhood" in relation to the religious and philosophical association known to us as "Voskresen’ya".

The History by Shanbal as the Earliest Specimen of the Historiography of Hadramawt

The historiographical tradition of Hadramawt, the autonomous historical and cultural region of South Arabia, began its formation in the IX/XV century. The works of Hadramawt historiography appeared in great numbers following “The History of Hadramawt” by Ahmad bin ‘Abdullah Shanbal. “The History of Hadramawt» belongs to the biographical genre of narrative characterized by a concise form of reporting. It was under the inϐluence of Muslim law and, to a lesser extent, theology, that the history of various branches of knowledge was compiled as a collection of biographies of authoritative ϐigures. Thus, the genre of biography in Arab-Muslim historiography became the most enduring of all forms of historical expression. Shanbal through the prism of biographies of ulems, fakikhs, qadis, rulers and commanders gave us the basis for constructing the history of medieval Hadramawt. This article identiϐies features of the Hadramawt historiographic tradition based on an analysis of the text of Ahmad bin ‘Abdullah Shanbal’s work. In compiling his chronicle, Shanbal apparently relied on Ba Hasan, Ba Shurahbil, ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Khatib, Ba Makhrama, genealogies and family hagiologies of sayyids and mashayyih.

Objects as Agents (Some Comments on O.L. Gubarev’s Response)

This article builds on the earlier discussion about the actor traits associated with North Germanic weapons. The historical theories and evidence used by O.L. Gubarev to support his approach are analyzed. It is argued that he seems to echo the historiographical tradition relying on oversimplified a priori assertions, rather than a comprehensive analysis of the concept of “living” things in certain cultures. In his polemical response, he misinterpreted some historical sources and the views of other researchers, while also presenting his own controversial ideas as undeniable facts. In conclusion, it is suggested that the beliefs in the ability of inanimate things to have person-like qualities and play an actual social role, the distinction between living and non-living nature, as well as the practice of attributing souls to non-living entities, should be regarded as separate problems that are not clearly related in all cultures.

Reception History and the Historiography of Economics

This paper explores reception history as a framework for historians of economics in the light of the impasse between contextual and traditional historiography. It focuses on the particular reception history approach of the German literary critic Hans Robert Jauss, which is grounded in the philosophical hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer. Jauss’ reception approach is outlined and then compared to the contextual historiography of Quentin Skinner, and Donald Winch, as well as to the traditional historiography of economics exemplified by Joseph Schumpeter, George Stigler, Paul Samuelson and Mark Blaug. I argue that Jauss’ reception history framework encompasses the contextual and traditional approaches, picking up the attention of original readers which is the strength of the contextual approach, while also validating attention to contemporary economist readers. It provides tools for more self-conscious attention to the multiple contexts involved in the study of past economic texts. It thus offers a way forward in the historiographical impasse facing contemporary historians of economics.

The Battle of Blore Heath: Sources, Historiography and Implications for the Outbreak of Conflict, 1459-60

ABSTRACT Discussion of the battle of Blore Heath (23 September 1459) has focused on the role of Cheshire gentry. This reflects a historiographical tradition that began early in the sixteenth century with Edward Hall. Attempts to reframe analysis of the battle, and in particular to understand dispositions and manoeuvres on the battlefield itself, have placed weight on the evidence of Jehan de Waurin’s chronicle of Great Britain. Compiled from his vantage point at the duke of Burgundy’s court using newsletters and similar materials, Waurin’s account has significant limitations. These are assessed here, alongside further evidence in other narrative sources. This allows for a clearer understanding of the participation of men from across the north-west midlands in the king’s forces, as also of the small group of core followers who accompanied the earl of Salisbury on his journey to rendezvous with the duke of York and other opponents of the court party.

Земские врачи Осинского уезда Пермской губернии в 1870–1919 гг. (к дискуссии о типичном образе этих специалистов)

Already contemporaries, and then several generations of researchers, tried to create a typical image of a zemstvo doctor. The results obtained were very contradictory. According to the supporters of one historiographic tradition, conventionally called “romantic” by us, many zemstvo doctors devoted themselves to selfless service to the common people. Others (conditionally "pragmatic") believe that for these specialists the possibility of self-realization in cities was more attractive. The significant difference of these zemstvo doctors created images is largely determined by quantitative parameters. Supporters of the "romantic" historiographical tradition focus their attention on the life and work of individual specialists who served for a long time in the same local government and/or performed various public functions. Their opponents tend to consider this medical corporation, noting the frequent change of duty station by most of its members, especially in rural areas. For further analysis, painstaking work is needed to create databases for all zemstvo doctors in a wide chronological range. This will make it possible to systematize information about the places and terms of their service, the reasons for their abandonment, previous and subsequent professional activities, changing the self-awareness of this category of the population. The authors created such a database for all 70 zemstvo doctors who served in the Osinsky district of the Perm province in 1870–1919. Its materials testify to the predominantly pragmatic nature of the activities of most of these specialists. The average service life of zemstvo doctors in the Osinsky zemstvo was 3.5 years. Moreover, this indicator was largely ensured by the long-term activity of several physicians. The most common reason for the dismissal of zemstvo doctors in the county was the transition to a service with more comfortable conditions. At the same time, here, as in all other districts of the Perm province, there were some vivid examples of their many years of selfless activity. In general, the creation of a typical image of a zemstvo doctor, even at the level of a separate province or county, seems to us a debatable goal. This big corporation included representatives very different in their life attitudes. Therefore, contemporaries already reasonably selected several typical images of zemstvo doctors at once.

Тема социокультурной неопределённости в Античности

The article deals with the process of reflection of sociocultural incertitude in antic philosophic and historiographical tradition. The sociocultural incertitude is the sociocultural state of subject, have been installed in the necessity of the choice between some variants of the further existence. Antic metaphysics, philosophy of nature, tradition of objective idealism, historiography give different variants of discovering the content of incertitude. The social, political, civilizational problematic of antic world Hellenistic and Roma periods added to the problem of incertitude the problematic of plurality of sociocultural identities, their coexistence, the possibility of their combination and the choice between them, voluntary for a person.

ІСТОРІЯ ТА МУЗИКА У БІОФІКЦІЙНОМУ РОМАНІ “ВСІ РАНКИ СВІТУ” ПАСКАЛЯ КІНЬЯРА

Background. The article examines the specific features of the representation of history in the novel "All the World's Mornings" (1991) by a French writer Pascal Quignard. In this novel, the contemporary author reactualizes the Baroque period. He depicts the life stories of two famous composers of the time – Jean de Sainte-Colombe, who is the novels' protagonist, and his student Marin Marais. The author's approach to the depiction of these characters' biographies is characterized by a shift from the historical documentation and a significant predominance of fictional details over factual components. As a consequence, we can consider "All the World's Mornings" as a biofictional novel. Methods. The theoretical basis of this article relies on the contemporary francophone studies (A. Buisine, A. Gefen, K. Lyamlahy), which analyze the nature and the specificity of this genre. Results. In the context of the interpretation of "All the World's Mornings", the theory of biofiction allows the better understanding of the author's approach to the operation of history. Although the novel is set in the XVII century, the author, instead of representing the history of that epoque, concentrates on the peculiarities of the protagonist's inner life. Also, Quignard mostly deviates from the well-known facts about Sainte-Colombe and his student, imagining most of the key events of their lives and adjusting them to his own axiology. The author postulates distrust towards the traditional historiography and undermines the accustomed version of the history of baroque music. Quignard also depicts his own unconventional conception of temporality, which is based on his idea of "ancient times" – the writer's interpretation refers to the so-called time of the origins of everything, which continues its manifestation in the present. Thus, in Quignard's perspective, the task of an artist is to ensure the reflection of this "ongoing past" in his works. Conclusions. Our analysis allowed us to conclude that the genre of biofiction serves to represent the Pascal Quignard's unconventional understanding of history in his novels.

O Ekmečićevom metodu izučavanja i razumevanja pojma nacije i nacionalizma

Research into the life and work of Milorad Ekmečić shows that this eminent historian dedicated a significant portion of his scholarly efforts to studying the emergence, development, aspirations, and goals of the South Slavs' national revival. In accordance with the Western European historiographical tradition , he often referred to this as "nationalism." Ekmečić's research interest in various aspects of the topic can be traced back to the early days of his academic career. Over the years, with accumulated experience, he delved deeper into the subject, approached it from various angles, and examined it from multiple perspectives. In his research, he acted not only as a historian of the past but also as an analyst of ideas and a philosopher of history. His insights into the origins, definitions, interpretations , and evolution of the concept of nation and nationalism significantly contributed to the study of this subject.

The Transformation of Islamic Historiography in the Era of the Caliphate

In the first two centuries of Islam, there was no singular and uniform historiographical tradition, and multiple schools emerged in the regions of Medina, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. Gradually, the tension between the perspectives of court historians and other chroniclers, the vastness of Islamic culture, and the relative freedom of historians in employing the method of observation or narration led to the creation of works with different approaches. Nevertheless, Islamic historiography in the third and fourth centuries A.H. shifted towards a narrative-oriented discourse and made less use of analytical and critical perspectives. This article aims, using a comparative-critical method, to provide a brief analysis of the historiographical trends from the first to the fourth centuries A.H. and to compare the historiographical methods and perspectives of the Umayyads and Abbasids. According to the research findings, the Umayyads and Abbasids used history and historians as tools to legitimize their rule and, knowingly or unknowingly, contributed to the spread of certain historiographical distortions and deviations. Eventually, with the beginning of the translation movement and the cultural expansion and assimilation, conditions were created for the flourishing of historiography by historians from the subordinate regions, and the historical perspective of Muslim historians became more global and analytical. This culminated in a new generation of professional historians succeeding in producing distinguished works.

Повествование об основании Йезда в местной традиционной историографии

Повествование об основании Йезда в местной традиционной историографии

Скромное обаяние современных стереотипов об иноземцах и ясаке в России XVI–XVII вв.

Research objectives: The main purpose of the study is to consider some fairly actively used stereotypes and their validity. Research materials: The reason for writing the proposed publication article was the work of A.Yu. Konev “The phenomenon of ‘foreignism’, yasak and gift exchange: the peoples of the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia in Russia at the end of the 16th – beginning of the 18th centuries.” Published and newly discovered archival materials were its source basis. Results and novelty of the research: Within the framework of this article, we can distinguish two plots about stereotypes, quite different in nature, but relating, to a large extent, to one group of the population of Russia in the 16th–18th centuries – yasak people or yasak foreigners. According to the first stereotype, the unbaptized non-Russian population of the Russian state were not among the subjects of the Russian tsar, or at least not to the full extent. The authors usually do not provide any real justification for this point of view, but if they try to do so, they point to restrictions regarding unbaptized yasak and service people and to baptism as a way to obtain additional preferences (implementing a rise in social standing). At the same time, if we turn to the documents of the middle of the 18th century, we will see that officials and scientists of that time had no doubts that the yasak unbaptized population were Russian subjects from the moment their territories became part of this state. With a high degree of probability, we can admit that the formation of this stereotype dates back to the period of the predominance of the ideologeme “Autocracy, Orthodoxy, Nationality” and is the result of extrapolation to the situation of the 16th–17th centuries representations of the second half of the 19th century. The second stereotype is less obvious, but quite serious. It consists of ignoring the information contained in a huge layer of documents of the 16th–17th centuries, namely, indications that yasak was collected from estates, and the presence of patrimonial lands was the basis for paying yasak. The reverse is also true – the payment of yasak gave rights to patrimonial lands. This information is contained in tsars’ decrees, orders to governors – that is, legislative documents. But until now, the bulk of specialists dealing with the history of the Volga region, the Urals, and Siberia simply did not notice these places in the documents. This is a kind of stereotype of ignoring the obvious. Meanwhile, based on the text of these documents, it is obvious that yasak can be considered only bearing in mind the status of the lands from which it was paid, indicated in the sources. This is true for territories from the Volga region to Central Siberia. Obviously, the time has come to change approaches to these issues. The scientific novelty of the study lies largely in the attempt to read and translate sources (often long published and well-known) as they were, discarding the “filters” formed by the historiographical tradition.

Чинги-тура в истории Тюменского ханства

Purpose: To identify the main evolution stages of the status of the settlement of Chingi-tura as the political center of the Tyumen Khanate. Research materials: The work was carried out on the basis of an analysis of published sources (chronicles, embassy documents, letters, contracts, travelers’ notes, cartography data, and results of archaeological excavations). Results and scientific novelty. In historical research, largely under the influence of various editions of the so-called “Siberian chronicles,” there is a traditional concept about the connection of Chingi-tura, first of all, with the activities of the princes from the Taibugid dynasty. The city practically stopped existing with their departure to Isker-Siberia. However, a more comprehensive approach to sources, including archaeological ones, allows for considering this issue in a different way. The formation of the city (taking into account the specifics of applying this term to Siberian realities), was associated specifically with the Ulus of Jochi, dating back to the last quarter of the 13th century when the population changed there and Chingi-tura became one of the centers on the Transural trade route. The economic and possibly administrative significance of Chingi-tura in the 13th–14th centuries became the basis for its political rise in the first third of the next century. It appeared to be the center that attracted those Shibanids who would fight for uniting all lands of that dynasty’s representatives into a single state. Moreover, until the end of 1420 the city was under the control of representatives of the Burkut tribe whose history is obviously connected with the Siberian Taibugids. Only after 1431, in the time of Abu-l-Khair, did Chingi-tura receive the status of a throne place (Tyumen of Russian sources) which is a reasonable basis to refer to the state as the Tyumen Khanate. For a long time, the specificity of the city was determined by the fact that it was located on the northern border of this steppe state, something which greatly complicated its development. Also, contrary to the established historiographic tradition, it can be said that Chingi-tura was not abandoned after the death or murder of the Tyumen Khan Ibrahim (Ibak) no later than 1495. The collapse of the city is associated with the crisis of the Tyumen Khanate itself in late 1510. Despite the apparent decrease of its importance, the city continued to exist and play a certain role in the political ideology of Khan Kuchum, a grandson of Ibrahim. It was finally abandoned by the Tatars after Yermak’s campaign. Owing to this, by 1586, the time of the construction of Russian Tyumen nearby, it was already called as “an empty settlement”. Further understanding of Chingi-tura role in the history of the Siberian statehood of the Shibanids is impossible without the urgent continuation of archaeological excavations of the settlement remains that have survived to this day.

Насильственное перемещение этнических калмыков г. Таганрога на принудительные работы в Третий рейх: опыт микроисторической эвристики

Introduction. The article deals with one interesting pattern of research heuristics tackled to create a unified empirical database on forced labor relocations of Rostov Oblast-based Soviet citizens to Nazi Germany. Goals. The source study primarily attempts a consistent reconstruction of individual elements to the ethnic stratification among the O starbeiter (‘Eastern workers’) from the selected region, the former to be facilitated by the current identification of ethnic Kalmyks among such displaced individuals. This specific epistemological perspective has never been addressed by the preceding historiographic tradition, which makes the research practice relevant enough. Materials and methods. The integrated use of traditional archival search methods at the Taganrog Office of Rostov Oblast Archive (Russia) and the City Archive of Lüdenscheid (Germany) made it possible to identify an approximate circle of Kalmyk Soviet citizens forcibly displaced from Taganrog. Results. The paper contributes to a consistent understanding of how Nazi Germany’s forced labor civilian deportations from occupied territories took place, and outlines the phenomenon’s dynamics. The undertaken reconstruction of the ethnic stratification among forcibly displaced Soviet citizens clearly illustrates the rigid universalism of the occupation authorities that were seeking to gain ‘living space’ for ‘true Aryans’. The integrated object for Nazi repressive actions was civilian populations of occupied regions viewed as inferior communities, with no special privileges for any certain ethnic group. A particularly valuable result is that the study has yielded preliminary verifications for a number of ethnic Kalmyks that experienced such forced labor relocations to Nazi Germany.

Peran Ulama Abad XIX-XX di Indonesia: Analisis Historiografi Indonesia Modern dalam “Ulama dan Kekuasaan” karya Jajat Burhanudin

This article aims to provide a historiographical analysis of modern Indonesian Islam. To find out the historiography of modern Indonesian Islam, the book Ulama and the Power of Jajat Burhanudin's work is an example of modern Islamic history that will be the object of analysis in this article. The methods used in this research are library research and oral history. The result of this research is that modern Indonesian Islamic historiography is a continuity process from previous historiography. The hallmark of the historiography of modern Indonesian Islam is the writing of history using a new history, namely history that uses a multidisciplinary approach. In addition, the second characteristic is that the Indonesian-centric ideology has been embedded in the history of Muslims in Indonesia, so that the history of modern Indonesian Islam plays a role in highlighting Indonesian identity. In this case, Jajat Burhanudin attempted to write the history of modern Indonesian Islam in the works of Ulama and Power. This book was written using sources from various languages such as Dutch, English, and even sources in traditional historiography such as chronicles, hikayat, and fiber. For his efforts, the book Ulama and Power is able to comprehensively record the Muslim scholars in the 19th and 20th Centuries Indonesia.

The decolonial historiographical traditions of the Antillean Caribbean in the second half of the 20th century

In the Antillean Caribbean, its history is one of the phenomena that mobilizes greater attention. The proposed paper addresses the problem of how decolonial historiographic traditions are constructed during the second half of the 20th century. The objective of the paper is to identify themes, theoretical-conceptual and methodological proposals of the decolonial historiography of the Antillean Caribbean. The research does not have a unique method: it is interpretative, inductive, multimethodical and reflexive. The techniques will be interrogation, documentary analysis, critical and annotated review of bibliography and documents - from scientific and general publications, and content analysis. We will analyze the most treated themes in the decolonial historiographic turn of the Caribbean. Then, the theoretical proposals and concepts contributed by the historiographic tradition will be defined. The main results are a series of theoretical proposals such as epistemic decolonization, independent thought, negritude, Creolization/creolité, transculturation, mimesis of the colonized, Antilleanity, among others.

The decolonial historiographical traditions of the Antillean Caribbean in the second half of the 20th century and their contribution to the study of colonialism

The manuscript explores the problematics of colonialism and neocolonialism in the West Indian Caribbean after the second half of the twentieth century, proposing the term "decolonial historiographical traditions". This term refers to historical reconstructions that normalize decolonial positions, a concept little explored so far. Using Victor Hugo Acuña Ortega's hypothesis on Central American participation in globalization, the text argues that the Antillean Caribbean, due to its strategic location, has been a key region in the different phases of globalization. The decolonial turn, defined by authors such as Maldonado-Torres, is characterized by its critique of Western modernity and its focus on the problems created by coloniality. This turn has had three stages in the Caribbean: the first with the Haitian Revolution and the independence movements, the second with the decolonizing processes of the second half of the 20th century and the impact of the Cuban Revolution, and the third, since the end of the 20th century, centered on the debates on the global capitalist system and the critique of Eurocentrism. The decolonial historiographical traditions of the Antillean Caribbean are distinguished by their critical and multidisciplinary approach, breaking with nationalist and positivist historiographical traditions. These traditions address issues such as regional integration, identity, and colonization, using innovative methods and concepts that include oral history and the analysis of colonial memory and trauma. The manuscript also discusses the distinctions between colonialism and neocolonialism, highlighting internal and cultural colonialism, and the impact of U.S. imperialism in the region. The work underscores the importance of decolonial methodologies for a more critical understanding of the past and their relevance to contemporary debates on social justice and emancipation.

Dreaming of an Indigenised Australia

ABSTRACT This article offers a critical engagement with Billy Griffiths’s award-winning book Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient Australia as a departure point towards uncovering and examining a significant tradition of Australian cultural reflection and interpretation it terms, following Anthony Moran, indigenising settler nationalism. Tracing the genealogy of the indigenising settler-nationalist tendencies that shape Deep Time Dreaming, and to which the text itself contributes, the article situates Griffiths’s contribution as a recent and notable exemplar of a longstanding historiographical tradition that responds to the continuing crisis of settler-national belonging and legitimacy by attempting to incorporate the historical depth of Indigenous occupation into its own national, nationalising narrative, and so to indigenise the settler nation itself. The tradition is not Griffiths’s alone. When read in the context of a broader indigenising settler-nationalist tradition, Griffiths’s approach is revealed as neither unusually problematic nor uniquely complicit in the dynamics the article draws attention to. On the contrary, the genealogical reading of Griffiths’s work I offer here is important precisely to the extent that it facilitates an understanding of the underlying tendencies towards settler indigenisation that continue to condition Australian settler-national/ist historiography, and culture at large.