Theatres of Violence

Editors Dwyer (history, U. of Newcastle) and Ryan (history, U. of Newcastle) compile studies of massacres, mass killings and atrocities in the context of war and colonization throughout history to illustrate the historical role of these events (as distinguished from genocide) as an accepted consequence of war. Sections examine massacre and atrocity in ancient and pre-modern eras and colonial eras, memory and contested narratives and the dynamics of mass killings and atrocity in modern times. While containing jarring and sometimes lurid descriptions of violence, the difficult subject matter in these essays is given thoughtful context within the broader scope of history and examples are chosen well to support the central thesis. Annotation Ac2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Philip G. Dwyer is Associate Professor in Modern European History at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He has published widely on the revolutionary and Napoleonic eras. He is the editor of Napoleon and Europe (2001), and Napoleon and His Empire: Europe 1804-1814(with Alan Forrest, 2007). His monograph Napoleon: The Path to Power, 1769-1799 (2008) won the Australian National Biography Award. He is currently working on the sequel.

Lyndall Ryan is Conjoint Professor of History at the University of Newcastle. Her classic text, The Aboriginal Tasmanians, first published in 1981, opened up the field of colonial frontier violence in Australia. Since then she has published widely on settlermassacres on the Australian colonial frontier. She is also the author of The Tasmanian Aborigines: A History since 1803 (2012).