Lessons from History: Leading historians tackle Australia's greatest challenges [Paperback]

Lessons from Historydemonstrates the real-world relevance of historical understanding in national and international policymaking. Leading historians tackle Australia's greatest challengesclimate change, social cohesion, migration, our relationship with China, economic crisis, trade relationsand show how the past provides context and knowledge that can guide us in the present and future.

This is a book for politicians, policymakers, journalists, engaged citizens, and historians. It offers a roadmap for vital knowledge, laying bare how history can and should inform public debate. It shows how historical literacy is fundamental to understanding context, which is essential for good policy and decision-making.David Loweis Chair of Contemporary History at Deakin University and co-founder of the Australian Policy and History Network. Recent books include (with Carola Lentz)Remembering Independence, Routledge, 2018 and (edited, with Cassandra Atherton and Alyson Miller)The Unfinished Atomic Bomb, Rowman and Littlefield, 2018.Carolyn Holbrookis a historian in the Contemporary Histories Research Group at Deakin University and the Director of Australian Policy and History. She is the author ofAnzac: The Unauthorised Biography, published by NewSouth in 2014, and co-editor (with Keir Reeves) ofThe Great War: Aftermath and Commemoration, published by UNSW Press in 2019.Lyndon Megarrityis an author, historian, and tertiary educator based in Townsville. His most recent book isNorthern Dreams: The Politics of Northern Development in Australia(2018).ContributorsThe State We’re InCarolyn Holbrook, Lyndon Megarrity and David LowePart 1: How a Knowledge of History Makes Better Policy1.Writing the History of the FutureGraeme Davison2.Learning the Right Lessons? Two Policy StoriesFrank Bongiorno3.Bridging the Divide between Hi