This week’s History Seminar Series features Dr Kirstie Close-Barry with a paper titled ‘Aisoli Salin and Governance in PNG’. The seminar takes place on Wednesday from 11am. 

Abstract: 

Aisoli Salin: Writing Governance in New Guinea Islands

Dr Lalen Simeon, Nancy Simeon, Gregory Bablis, with myself and Dr Jonathan Ritchie are currently developing the manuscript for the biography of Aisoli Salin, a New Guinean intellectual whose contribution to Papua New Guinea has remained almost entirely absent from the existing historiography. We have pieced together Salin’s life story so far using archival materials generally written by others, with the exception of two newspapers Salin contributed to as editor: Lagassai and The Rabaul Times. These publications reflected both Salin’s interests as well as those of the post-war Administration: agriculture as a key element of economic development in the New Guinea Islands, and education. Between these, and his role in the Legislative Council from 1951-55, this paper will outline just some of the ways Salin contributed to writing strategies for governance in the post-war period.

Please take note of the change of room at Waurn Ponds (ic3.108).