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Why did Aboriginal communities remain hunter-gatherers, avoiding technologies like the wheel, written language, or large-scale agriculture? This course challenges common misconceptions and explores the geographic and environmental factors that shaped Aboriginal life. ‘Beyond the Neolithic’ delves into the history of human innovation, revealing how global advancements in farming, city-building, and technology passed by Australia due to its geographic isolation after the rising seas. We'll also examine the growing movement to idealize Aboriginal cultures as highly advanced in mathematics, astronomy, and agriculture, probing the motivations behind this narrative shift and the modern-day stigmas attached to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Why is this way of life, once seen as primitive, now both romanticized and disparaged? In tracing global agricultural revolutions—from the first wheat farms in Jericho to Polynesian migration and pig domestication in New Guinea—we’ll situate Australia within a broader historical context, emphasizing how geographic barriers shaped the unique and highly challenging trajectory of its people. This course offers a fresh, grounded perspective on Aboriginal history and the wider implications of living off the land, both in the past and present. IN DEVELOPMENT: COURSE OVERVIEW ONLY
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