|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Author's note
|
The Germaine Greer Archive is a puzzle made up of tens of thousands of pieces stored in about 500 boxes. For the past two years, I’ve been working with a team of archivists at University of Melbourne Archives to put the puzzle pieces together. We’re nearly done. But even now, we’re still being surprised by what these records reveal.
Last month, I read a letter Greer wrote to a fellow academic in 1985, in between trips to Ethiopia. In the letter, Greer says she is broke. I suddenly realised how hard Greer has struggled to make a living as a self-employed writer of journalism, academic articles, speeches, books and scripts. She had tenure at Warwick University from 1967-1973, a few more years at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma (1979-83) and was at Warwick again from 1998 until 2003 but mostly she’s had to do without the security of holiday pay or super. There’s been no wealthy partner or family either. Two of her three trips to Ethiopia were self-funded.
Greer was deeply affected by what she saw there and between 1985 and 2010, she wrote dozens of pieces of journalism about it. Records relating to Greer’s work in Ethiopia infect every corner of the archive; the famine was an experience that refused to be classified. A little bundle of negatives in the archive, unprocessed and unpublished until now, reveal how committed Greer was to documenting the famine through Ethiopian eyes. Greer’s brilliant photographs invite us to witness the famine too. These archival records are a plea for social justice.
|
Rachel Buchanan
Curator, Germaine Greer Archive, University of Melbourne Archives
|
|
|
Top story
|
Happy Christmas Ethiopia: this photo was part of a Christmas card sent to Germaine Greer from the Diverse Productions film crew who worked with Greer on her 1985 documentary Diverse Reports: Ethiopia.
Photograph: Colin Skinner, reproduced with permission. University of Melbourne Archives, Germaine Greer Archive, 2014.0054.00156. Copyright: Colin Skinner.
Rachel Buchanan, University of Melbourne
One of the least recognised aspects of Germaine Greer’s professional life is her international career as a journalist. It spans reportage in Vietnam and Ethiopia and interviews with figures such as Primo Levi.
|
Health + Medicine
|
-
Terry Slevin, Cancer Council Australia
Whenever summer rolls around, it's easy to forget the basics of sunscreen. How long should I wait after applying it to go in the sun, and how long can I stay in the sun with it on?
|
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Brendan Churchill, University of Melbourne
Families are changing, and our political leaders should reflect on this diversity to ensure social policies reflect these differences, so that all families are well supported.
|
|
Cities
|
-
Rob Roggema, University of Technology Sydney; Peter Bishop, UCL
The future of Sydney is under constant scrutiny. But before we consider creating a 'third city' in Sydney's west, we should ensure we get the current infrastructure up to international standards.
|
|
Business + Economy
|
-
Renzo Mori Junior, The University of Queensland
It seems there is a gap between what companies publicly assume or state they are doing with the sustainable development goals and what they are actually doing.
|
|
Science + Technology
|
-
Bernard Wood, George Washington University; Michael Westaway, Griffith University
The story of where humans come from is growing as new evidence -- and new methods of analysis -- emerge all the time.
|
|
Education
|
-
Viviana Wuthrich, Macquarie University
Starting university is a common cause of heightened stress, with many new challenges for students to overcome.
|
|
Environment + Energy
|
-
Danica-Lea Larcombe, Edith Cowan University
Most modern offices contain a surprising amount of harsh chemicals. If you're heading back to work, check out our list of the best plants to clean the air (and reduce stress).
|
|
|
Featured jobs
|
|
The Conversation US — Atlanta, Georgia
|
|
University of Melbourne —
|
|
RMIT University — Melbourne, Victoria
|
|
Deakin University — Geelong, Victoria
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Featured events
|
|
Business School, Dr Chau Chak Wing Bldg, 14-28 Ultimo Road, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia — University of Technology Sydney
|
|
RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia — RMIT University
|
|
Business School, Dr Chau Chak Wing Bldg, 14-28 Ultimo Road, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia — University of Technology Sydney
|
|
Esplanade Hotel Fremantle, 46-54 Marine Terrace, Fremantle WA, Perth, Western Australia, 6160, Australia — Curtin University
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|