'Ten Pound Poms': Australia's Invisible Migrants: A life history of British postwar emigration to Australia - Softcover

A.James Hammerton; Alistair Thomson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 071907133X ISBN 13: 9780719071331

Publisher: Manchester University Press, 2005

Synopsis

More than a million Britons emigrated to Australia between the 1940s and 1970s. They were the famous 'ten pound Poms' and this is their story. Illuminated by the fascinating testimony of migrant life histories, this is the first substantial history of their experience and fills a gaping hole in the literature of emigration. The authors, both leading figures in the fields of oral history and migration studies, draw upon a rich life history archive of letters, diaries, personal photographs and hundreds of oral history interviews with former migrants, including those who settled in Australia and those who returned to Britain. They offer original interpretations of key historical themes, including: motivations for emigration; gender relations and the family dynamics of migration; the 'very familiar and awfully strange' confrontation with the new world; the anguish of homesickness and return; and the personal and national identities of both settlers and returnees, fifty years on. Accessible and appealing, this book will engage readers interested in British and Australian migration history and intrigued about the significance of migrant memories for individuals, families and nations.

About this title

Review:

This text will make a lasting impression on individual readers and the scholarly field. Catherine Kevin, King's College London, Reviews in History --Catherine Kevin, King's College London, Reviews in History

this masterful book shares with the best oral histories a commitment to empathy and to getting myriad stories right. Ten Pound Poms recovers the meanings and experiences of a real and significant transplanting. (Mark Peel, Australian Book Review) --(Mark Peel, Australian Book Review)

The book has two great strengths. First, Hammerton and Thomson demonstrate in intricate detail what they describe as 'this tension between familiarity and strangeness' (124) in the immigrant experience of Australia. The derisive Australian phrase 'Pommy bastards' captures the ambivalent positioning of the British in Australia. The second fascinating part of Ten Pound Poms, and the chapter I will use most in my teaching and research, is their work on the return immigrants. Described as 'invisible twice over', the writers examine the consequences to Australian identity of leaving these voices outside of celebratory national narrative. (Tara Brabazon, Murdoch University) --Tara Brabazon, Murdoch University

Synopsis:

There is currently a revived interest in British emigration to Australia; This book fills a gaping hole in the literature; Explores the experiences of migrants who returned to Britain as well as the lives of those who stayed in Australia; Draws directly and substantially upon the rich personal testimony of about 500 British emigrants - including oral history interviews, diaries, letters, memoirs and photographs collected by the authors; The authors are leading practitioners in the field and the book is alert to the subtle levels of meaning available through such sources and explores 'cutting edge' approaches and issues in life history research

About this edition

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 071907133X
• ISBN 13: 9780719071331
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400