Conflict at Lambing Flat: Memory, Myth & History

– a discussion with Karen Schamberger

Known as a poor man’s goldfield, Lambing Flat became notorious for racist violence in the 1860s. How long did the violence last and why is it remembered as the Birth of White Australia? How can we understand conflicting sources and changing narratives over time? Historian Dr Karen Schamberger has studied the Lambing Flat Riots as part of her PhD thesis, and in particular its interpretation locally as well as nationally. She argues that it’s time to write the Chinese miners’ accounts back into the history of these events. Listen in as Michael Williams talks Chinese Australian history with this outstanding young scholar. Dr Karen Schamberger is an independent historian and curator who is interested in migration history, cross-cultural relations and material culture.