03 | Inch by Inch

What this episode covers

Clare and Yves are joined by Tony Birch, Melbourne-based historian, novelist, poet and public intellectual trained in indigenous history. Is archival research always a fact-finding mission—or can it be a form of call and response? Reflecting on his journey from academic historian to award-winning fiction writer, Tony explains how he answers back to the colonial archive and uses language to take back country. The group also discusses the History Wars of the early 2000s, hear Tony recite his poem “Archive Box,” and learn about the contraband he’s got stashed at home.