The Other Side of the Frontier

Infobox Book
name = The Other Side of the Frontier
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author = Henry Reynolds
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country = Australia
language = English
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subject = Australian history
genre = Non-fiction
publisher = UNSW Press
pub_date = 1981
english_pub_date =
media_type = Print (Hardcover)
pages = 234 pp
isbn = ISBN 0868408921
oclc =
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"The Other Side of the Frontier: Aboriginal Resistance to the European invasion of Australia" is a history book published in 1981 by Australian historian Henry Reynolds. As its title indicates, it is a study of Aboriginal Australian resistance to the British settlement or invasion of Australia from 1788 onwards. The study constituted the first comprehensive research on this topic, and had a profound impact on Australian historiography. It redefined the writing of Australian history books, which became more inclusive of the history of Indigenous Australians. It has also been seen, retroactively, as one of the starting points of the History Wars, an ongoing academic, political and public debate regarding perceptions and presentations of Australian history.

The book ends with the following thoughts::"Frontier violence was political violence. We cannot ignore it because it took place on the fringes of European settlement. Twenty thousand blacks were killed before federation. Their burial mound stands out as a landmark of awesome size on the peaceful plains of colonial history. If the bodies had been white our histories would be heavy with their story, a forest of monuments would celebrate their sacrifice. The much noted actions of rebel colonists are trifling in comparison. The Kellys and their kind, even Eureka diggers and Vinegar Hill convicts, are diminished when measured against the hundreds of clans who fought frontier settlers for well over a century. [...] ":"How, then, do we deal with the Aboriginal dead? White Australians frequently say 'all that' should be forgotten. But it will not be. It cannot be. Black memories are too deeply, too recently scarred. And forgetfulness is a strange prescription coming from a community which has revered the fallen warrior and emblazoned the phrase 'Lest We Forget' on monuments throughout the land. [...] [D] o we make room for the Aboriginal dead on our memorials, cenotaph, boards of honour and even in the pantheon of national heroes? If we are to continue to celebrate the sacrifice of men and women who died for their country can we deny admission to fallen tribesmen? There is much in their story that Australians have traditionally admired. They were ever the underdogs, were always outgunned, yet frequently faced death without flinching. If they did not die for Australia as such they fell defending their homelands, their sacred sites, their way of life."

The University of New South Wales Press, which published the book, describes it as follows::"The publication of this book in 1981 profoundly changed the way in which we understand the history of relations between indigenous Australians and European settlers. It has since become a classic of Australian history." [ [http://www.unswpress.com.au/isbn/0868408921.htm UNSW Press website] ]

Reviewing it for the "Aboriginal Law Bulletin", John Terry wrote::"Reynolds' book presents important concepts in Australian history. It is an appreciation that the convicts, squatters, explorers, diggers, ticket-of-leave men and the like did not step onto a continent that was barren and uninhabited, but into a rich and complex world of another people who resisted the invasion, fought for their land, struggled to survive - and who continue to struggle for due recognition. These ideas have been familiar for some time of course, and attempts have been made to document them, but this is the first serious production by a competent historian." [John Terry, [http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AboriginalLB/1982/41.html "Book Review - "The Other Side of the Frontier": An Interpretation of the Aboriginal Response to the Invasion and Settlement of Australia"] , "Aboriginal Law Bulletin"]

In 1982, the book was awarded the Ernest Scott Historical Prize. [ [http://nla.gov.au/nla.ms-ms9548 "Papers of Henry Reynolds"] , National Library of Australia]

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