Landscapes of Production and Punishment – The archaeology of convict industry

Due to the success of the online ASHA conference in 2021, we will be hosting a series of bi-monthly online seminars in 2022 to showcase the great research currently being undertaken in Australia.  The talks will run for 45 to 50 minutes, followed by a Q&A session. The seminars will offer a great opportunity to engage with these significant projects. All bookings will be through Eventbrite (link is below) and a Zoom link will be sent via email with the confirmation of registration.  We look forward to seeing you – virtually!

The first seminar of the series will be Landscapes of Production and Punishment – The archaeology of convict industry at 6pm on Wednesday 16 March 2022.

Landscapes of Production and Punishment – The archaeology of convict industry

Professor Martin Gibbs, University of New England
Dr Richard Tuffin, University of New England
Caiti d’Glyuas, University of New England

Although the convict system has been a staple of Australian historical archaeological research, Kerr’s Design for Convicts remains the only attempt at a synthesis, albeit limited to the evolution of institutional sites for accommodation and punishment. However, as archaeologists continue to undertake surveys and excavations of convict work places and production sites (from quarries to culverts to buildings and landscapes), the question remains as to how we can incorporate these as part of our wider analysis and understanding of convict labour.  Similarly, if we are to reconnect with the wider concerns of historians and sociologists, how do we link our archaeologies to multi-scalar issues where we have everything from the ‘big data’ showing en-masse where and how thousands of men, women and children were deployed in a vast range of situations across the colonies, versus accommodating personal life courses and individual experiences.  This seminar presents an overview of the structure of the Landscapes of Production and Punishment project and a sample of the different projects being undertaken under its banner.

More Information

For more information on this Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project, visit the project website at: https://www.une.edu.au/about-une/faculty-of-humanities-arts-social-sciences-and-education/hass/humanities-arts-and-social-sciences-research/landscapes-of-production-and-punishment.

Eventbrite Link

Tickets are available at: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/landscapes-of-production-and-punishment-archaeology-of-convict-industry-tickets-291887221537

Event recording