The work is the first Thematic History to cover the whole of the state, and provides invaluable context and vital details to help the Heritage Council understand the heritage value of places being considered for inclusion on the State Register of Heritage Places.
With a focus on the last 200 years, the thematic history provides a concise overview of Western Australia framed across eight themes and expressed through key stories and chronological periods.
The document is available as a guide for practitioners and others within the heritage sector or as an entertaining and educative read for anyone interested in Western Australian history.
It will be added to or revised over time as our understanding of Western Australia’s heritage develops.
FAQ
Show moreWhat is a thematic history?
A thematic history identifies and explains the main factors, processes and events that have shaped a particular location or subject. It outlines the historical development – illustrating the factors that have defined its distinctive character over time – against one or more themes, such as economy, governing and environment.
Why is this work important?
Evaluating and recognising Western Australia’s rich and diverse heritage is a complex undertaking. It is therefore important that careful assessment is made of all aspects of a place under consideration for inclusion on the State Register of Heritage Places, to clearly establish its importance to the story of the State.
The Thematic History of Western Australia was commissioned by the Heritage Council of WA to assist in its work in building a rich and well-infomed State Regiser.
It is designed to provide a detailed review – both thematic and chronological – of Western Australia’s post-colonial history and is used in conjunction with the factors and values relevant to determining cultural heritage significance.
The Thematic History is not intended to be a full history of Western Australia. Rather, it is a framework – or overview – of the big stories or themes that helped shaped the State, to establish where a place fits within these themes.
What are the eight themes?
The Thematic History of Western Australia is framed around eight primary themes, a number of sub-themes and four Integrated Stories.
The main themes are: Environment, Peopling WA, Economy, Infrastructure, Social Services, Governing, Cultural Life and International Links.
While these themes rather than chronology guided the document’s compilation, chronological periods also have thematic links of their own and shared influence across stories.
What are the integrated stories?
Four integrated stories were considered the most important for understanding the complexities of Western Australian histories.
Three of these: Aboriginal people, Women, and Non-British migrants are reflected as particularly important Western Australian narratives, woven through the key stories and themes.
For example, the interaction between Aboriginal people and the health system is intrinsically part of the Western Australian story of health, while the influence of women in the workforce and the working conditions of women cannot be separated out as ‘other’ stories from those of workers and working more generally. These stories have therefore been integrated within the overarching key stories, to ensure the State’s history is not implicitly separated into the traditional white, male history (as default) and ‘others’.
A fourth integrated story is isolation. As a defining characteristic of Western Australia, isolation could have been considered a theme or sub-theme of its own but it was considered as an influencing factor that has had a major impact on the State’s identity.
Does it cover Aboriginal history?
Aboriginal occupation of the continent for millennia is acknowledged throughout the document, and Aboriginal stories are an important inclusion.
However, with the primary purpose of the Thematic History being to support the evaluation of places under the Heritage Act 2018, its focus is on the post-colonial period.
About the Author
The Thematic History of Western Australia was researched and authored for the Heritage Council of WA by historian Clare Menck (nee Schulz).
Clare worked for more than 20 years in history and heritage in Western Australia. A skilled and diligent historian, she had a great ability to see broad overarching themes, while bringing forward the stories of the less well known.
Clare passed away in January 2022 after a short illness.
