47. The Last Tour: Ann Curthoys on Paul and Eslanda Robeson

In this episode of History Lab Live, we revisit a remarkable moment in Australian history: the 1960 visit of Paul Robeson and his wife, Eslanda Robeson.Paul Robeson was one of the most famous voices in the world — a singer who could fill concert halls, but also a lawyer, actor, athlete, and one of the most outspoken civil rights activists of the 20th century.Alongside him was Eslanda, an anthropologist, author, actress and political organiser. Their arrival in Australia came after nearly a decade of enforced silence during the Cold War, when the US government stripped Paul Robeson of his passport.Recorded live at Gleebooks, historian Ann Curthoys joins journalist and academic Lorena Allam to discuss Curthoys' book, The Last Tour – a look at what happened when the Robesons finally made it to Australia.What emerges is a portrait of the Robesons as “figures of the future” — speaking a political language that echoes today.History Lab Live brings you recordings of conversations about Australian history from bookshops, universities and public institutions around the country.This episode is brought to you in partnership with our friends at Gleebooks. Head to the Gleebooks events page to discover more great literary events featuring some of Australia’s best and best known authors.VoicesProfessor Ann Curthoys is an eminent Australian historian who has researched, taught, and published on many aspects of Australian history, and also on questions of feminism, cultural studies, and historical writing and theory. Her major publications include Freedom Ride: A Freedomrider Remembers (2002); (with John Docker) Is History Fiction? (2005, 2010); and (with Jessie Mitchell), Taking Liberty: Indigenous Rights and Settler Self-government in the Australian Colonies, 1830 – 1890. The Last Tour: Paul and Eslanda Robeson's visit to Australia and New Zealand was published in 2025 by MUP.Lorena Allam is a multiple Walkley Award-winning journalist, a Gamilaraay and Yuwaalaraay woman, and an Industry Professor of Indigenous media at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney.CreditsThis episode was introduced by Tamson Pietsch, and mixed by Siobhan Moylan.History Lab is an Impact Studios podcast. Its executive producer is Sarah Gilbert.