Books by Sarah Midford
To all those who have taught 'Rethinking our humanity' and 'Ideas that shook the world'.
The Anzac narrative lies at the heart of Australian national identity and this thesis demonstrate... more The Anzac narrative lies at the heart of Australian national identity and this thesis demonstrates how its authors have drawn upon classical narratives to attain and maintain this position. Since the first Australian soldiers landed on Gallipoli’s beaches at dawn on 25 April 1915, allusions to the classical world have been drawn upon to compose the Anzac narrative. The proximity of Gallipoli to the presumed site of the legendary Trojan War (on the other side of the Dardanelles) ignited the imaginations of soldiers, journalists, historians, poets, novelists, artists and politicians. From the outset, Anzac soldiers were likened to ancient Greek warrior heroes and the Gallipoli campaign was compared with the mythical Trojan War. After the Great War ended, large-scale commemoration of those killed in service to their nation commenced in Australia. The idealised image of the Anzac soldier based on the ancient warrior heroes from mythical narratives endured during this period, but was coupled with ideologies from fifth-century BCE Hellenic democracies, which venerated those soldiers who died in service to their state in order that their deeds be remembered for evermore. Anzac commemoration, like the commemoration of ancient Greek citizen-soldiers, was focussed on equal recognition for all those who died, and memorialised the dead in such a way that their sacrifices inspired the surviving citizens to dedicate themselves to the improvement of their community for future generations. Integral to the coupling of ancient Greek and Anzac commemorative practices was the Australian War Correspondent and Official Historian, C.E.W. Bean. Bean was classically educated and drew on his knowledge of the past to create a detailed record of wartime events as a legacy for the Australian people of the time, and also those of the future. To provide context, the thesis commences with a survey of classical reception in Australia prior to the Great War. It then traces the many ways the classics were drawn upon to compose the Anzac narrative. During the war, journalistic, literary, historical and personal narratives focussed on the strength and beauty of the Anzac soldier, and comparisons to the heroes of ancient Greek mythology were common. After the war, commemorative efforts dwelt on the magnitude of sacrifice, emphasising that building a prosperous Australian future would ensure that these losses incurred would not be in vain. To do this, democratic commemorative practices and funerary rituals of fifth-century ancient Greek states were employed in Australian commemorative efforts. These established a strong link between Anzac commemoration and ancient Greek ancestor hero cults. After the Second World War, the Anzac narrative dwindled before being revived in the 1980s, in part, by Peter Weir’s film Gallipoli, which transformed the imperialist Anzac narrative into a nationalist story of Australian maturity and independence for a new generation of Australians in need of a distinct national identity. The classics have been written into the very foundations of the Anzac narrative and function to elide space and time, connecting the Australian people to Europe and the Western tradition. Associating Anzac deeds with the classical tradition positioned Australia as a descendant of great civilisations and has ultimately shaped a cult of Anzac reminiscent of ancient Greek ancestor hero cults.
The Australian representation of the Gallipoli Campaign in the Great War is laced with allusions ... more The Australian representation of the Gallipoli Campaign in the Great War is laced with allusions to antiquity and the Classical world. The men in the trenches were aware that they were located across the Dardanelles from Troy and references to the landscapes’ past permeated their writings. Allusions to antiquity also pervaded art, literature and newspapers throughout the war and afterwards. This paper will look at the reasons why the epic and the heroic were used when representing the Anzac involvement at Gallipoli. It will also examine the construction of an Anzac myth at Gallipoli which forged a link between the Classical past and the Australian present and future. This will demonstrate that the Classics were used as an ‘opiate’ to dull the pain that the war caused the Australian nation. It will also examine the Anzac myth’s construction as a convenient link to Western civilization, placing Australia within a European continuum while simultaneously establishing themselves as an in...
This book covers the long history of the Gallipoli peninsula and surrounding landscape. It examin... more This book covers the long history of the Gallipoli peninsula and surrounding landscape. It examines the peninsula as a locus of conflict for over three thousand years and positions the 1915 First World War Anzac Campaign within a much greater mythical, historical, political and cultural context.
Anzac Battlefield: A Gallipoli Landscape of War and Memory explores the transformation of Gallipo... more Anzac Battlefield: A Gallipoli Landscape of War and Memory explores the transformation of Gallipoli's landscape in antiquity, during the famed battles of the First World War and in the present day. Drawing on archival, archaeological and cartographic material, this book unearths the deep history of the Gallipoli peninsula, setting the Gallipoli campaign in a broader cultural and historical context. The book presents the results of an original archaeological survey, the research for which was supported by the Australian, New Zealand and Turkish Governments. The survey examines materials from both sides of the battlefield, and sheds new light on the environment in which Anzac and Turkish soldiers endured the conflict. Richly illustrated with both Ottoman and Anzac archival images and maps, as well as original maps and photographs of the landscape and archaeological findings, Anzac Battlefield is an important contribution to our understanding of Gallipoli and its landscape of war a...
Caesar came, saw and conquered the Gauls a decade before he met his untimely and bloody death. He... more Caesar came, saw and conquered the Gauls a decade before he met his untimely and bloody death. Here we look at what he conquered, how he saw the Gauls and how he used this triumph to further his own ambition. Ambition which in turn led to the demise of the Roman Republic.
This book is a collection of foundational concepts in the humanities and social sciences and will... more This book is a collection of foundational concepts in the humanities and social sciences and will be of particular use to undergraduate students. This book has been written as a textbook for the interdisciplinary core arts subjects Rethinking Our Humanity and Ideas that Shook the World, and the authors hope that the interdisciplinary nature of these subjects ensures that the book's contents will be useful to any reader who wants to better understand key terms and concepts relevant to human cultures and their history. The reader should note, however, that the terms included in the book have originated from the needs of these two undergraduate subjects, which focus on concepts as they apply to contemporary Australian culture. This means that there are some biases and omissions within this first edition of the book. For instance, the terms within lean heavily towards the Western tradition, and other traditions are more cursorily covered. In subsequent editions of this book, the authors will expand the coverage of other traditions and concepts.
The authors have made a conscientious effort to ensure that each definition is concise. Overly complicated language has been avoided for clarity, but terms have not been oversimplified, and scholarly references have been provided for all entries so readers know where to find a more in-depth discussion of the term should they need it. When terms contained within the book are mentioned in another entry, readers can navigate between them using hyperlinks.
Every reference cited in the book is also included in the extensive bibliography, which will be a useful resource to readers in and of itself. By including succinct definitions and further resources together, the book acts as a starting point for research that guides students through the process.
An impetus for writing this book was that similar volumes often approach terms from a disciplinary perspective. This meant students need to access several resources when researching terms across disciplines. The authors wanted to create an interdisciplinary resource that would allow their students to access concepts across disciplines in the same place. Our hope is that the book will be useful to students as they progress in their studies and even after they have graduated.
This book covers the long history of the Gallipoli peninsula and surrounding landscape. It examin... more This book covers the long history of the Gallipoli peninsula and surrounding landscape. It examines the peninsula as a locus of conflict for over three thousand years and positions the 1915 First World War Anzac Campaign within a much greater mythical, historical, political and cultural context.
Throughout his life, Caesar did not simply seize opportunities that presented themselves; he also... more Throughout his life, Caesar did not simply seize opportunities that presented themselves; he also created his own opportunities and forged his own path to power and glory. Caesar was an intelligent, ambitious and charismatic man. He was clever enough to ensure he was popular with the people and fortunate enough to be born a member of the Roman elite. This winning combination allowed him to craft a position for himself that changed his world and the world around him, and established an enduring legacy which lasted for millennia.
Published articles by Sarah Midford
Teaching History, 2024
Many students are fascinated by Ancient Greece and Rome, but they may also find it difficult to r... more Many students are fascinated by Ancient Greece and Rome, but they may also find it difficult to relate to or understand these ancient cultures. Students commonly bring preconceived notions about the past to their studies, which may be based on their exposure to popular media such as films, television shows, video games, books and comics. Preconceptions often result in inaccurate perceptions of the past: perhaps they think of Greeks as perpetually surrounded by beautiful white statues, while Romans were never happy unless slaughtering animals in the arena. Preconceptions often reinforce stereotypes because the popular texts depicting ancient societies are mediated through a modern lens designed to appeal to twenty-first century audiences. As well as updating accepted fashions and cultural norms, antiquity may be sanitised to be made more familiar, for example, modernising conceptions of gender or race, centring nuclear family values, or downplaying slavery.
The Personal Academic Training Scheme was piloted in 2014, building on positive results of the Fi... more The Personal Academic Training Scheme was piloted in 2014, building on positive results of the First-Year Advising programs in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at La Trobe University. The innovative scheme was designed as a targeted, integrated academic skills and mentoring program embedded
within the compulsory first year Bachelor of Arts foundation studies subjects. The program was born out of the need to support an increasingly diverse student body
with varying academic literacies and confidence levels. Postgraduate academic mentors worked one-on-one with first-year students identified as at risk of academic failure and dropping out of the Bachelor of Arts to develop academic skills and enhance the first-year experience. The provision of a personalised service to those students most at risk brought improvements in student confidence levels and overall academic achievement and success.
History Australia
E d u c a t i o n P r o g r a m R e c o m m e n d e d f o r Y e a r s 7 & 8 U N I T N O T E S E d... more E d u c a t i o n P r o g r a m R e c o m m e n d e d f o r Y e a r s 7 & 8 U N I T N O T E S E d u c a t i o n P r o g r a m R e c o m m e n d e d f o r Y e a r s 7 & 8 U N I T N O T E S
'The Roman World’ is a popular first year introductory survey of ancient Roman culture. Initi... more 'The Roman World’ is a popular first year introductory survey of ancient Roman culture. Initially taught as a traditional face-to-face ‘lecture plus tutorial’ subject, it encountered the typical problems of first year attrition and limited student engagement despite widespread interest in the subject material. This paper traces the authors’ success reengaging students via mobile learning tools, after the subject’s lectures were podcast, generating worldwide interest. Recent scholarship suggests that the provision of materials in easily digestible forms leads to better engagement and learning outcomes. The development of podcasts, vodcasts and ebook resources for students all provided demonstrable improvements in retention and achievement by allowing students to connect with materials via mobile devices that improved ease of access, portability and an attractive learning platform. This has created a coherent mobile learning experience for first year students—one strongly supporte...
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Books by Sarah Midford
The authors have made a conscientious effort to ensure that each definition is concise. Overly complicated language has been avoided for clarity, but terms have not been oversimplified, and scholarly references have been provided for all entries so readers know where to find a more in-depth discussion of the term should they need it. When terms contained within the book are mentioned in another entry, readers can navigate between them using hyperlinks.
Every reference cited in the book is also included in the extensive bibliography, which will be a useful resource to readers in and of itself. By including succinct definitions and further resources together, the book acts as a starting point for research that guides students through the process.
An impetus for writing this book was that similar volumes often approach terms from a disciplinary perspective. This meant students need to access several resources when researching terms across disciplines. The authors wanted to create an interdisciplinary resource that would allow their students to access concepts across disciplines in the same place. Our hope is that the book will be useful to students as they progress in their studies and even after they have graduated.
Published articles by Sarah Midford
within the compulsory first year Bachelor of Arts foundation studies subjects. The program was born out of the need to support an increasingly diverse student body
with varying academic literacies and confidence levels. Postgraduate academic mentors worked one-on-one with first-year students identified as at risk of academic failure and dropping out of the Bachelor of Arts to develop academic skills and enhance the first-year experience. The provision of a personalised service to those students most at risk brought improvements in student confidence levels and overall academic achievement and success.
The authors have made a conscientious effort to ensure that each definition is concise. Overly complicated language has been avoided for clarity, but terms have not been oversimplified, and scholarly references have been provided for all entries so readers know where to find a more in-depth discussion of the term should they need it. When terms contained within the book are mentioned in another entry, readers can navigate between them using hyperlinks.
Every reference cited in the book is also included in the extensive bibliography, which will be a useful resource to readers in and of itself. By including succinct definitions and further resources together, the book acts as a starting point for research that guides students through the process.
An impetus for writing this book was that similar volumes often approach terms from a disciplinary perspective. This meant students need to access several resources when researching terms across disciplines. The authors wanted to create an interdisciplinary resource that would allow their students to access concepts across disciplines in the same place. Our hope is that the book will be useful to students as they progress in their studies and even after they have graduated.
within the compulsory first year Bachelor of Arts foundation studies subjects. The program was born out of the need to support an increasingly diverse student body
with varying academic literacies and confidence levels. Postgraduate academic mentors worked one-on-one with first-year students identified as at risk of academic failure and dropping out of the Bachelor of Arts to develop academic skills and enhance the first-year experience. The provision of a personalised service to those students most at risk brought improvements in student confidence levels and overall academic achievement and success.