Is 'Dark Emu' Good History?

Dark Emu and the way Aboriginal people lived before colonisation.

Bruce Pascoe's book Dark Emu, has stimulated much discussion and debate and now is being taught in schools throughout Australia.

Robert Lewis, an Australian Historian, has written a practical classroom resource that enables teachers and students to explore the strengths and weaknesses of Dark Emu and its arguments in a fair, balanced, and informed way.

The resource includes a discussion that clarifies the issues debated by the supporters and critics of the book, and sets the context for students' historical inquiry into those issues.

There are twelve evidence-based inquiry classroom activities that set out the information and arguments needed for students to grapple with the issues in the classroom.

The activities address the main issues of the book, and the nature of the evidence that Pascoe and his supporters and critics use.

After working through the evidence-based worksheets in this 36-page booklet students will be able to reach their own fair and balanced conclusions about the nature of Aboriginal life before 1788.

The book Dark Emu is available here.