Deserted and Destitute: Motherhood, Wife Desertion, and Colonial Welfare

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Australian Scholarly, 2002 - Family & Relationships - 201 pages
Who was a deserted wife in colonial Australia? How did she make ends meet during peak periods of wife desertion, such as the Victorian gold rushes? How did colonial Australians view the social problems of wife desertion. This title draws on the stories of individual women to provide insights into histories of gender, welfare and the state.

About the author (2002)

Christina Twomey is an Australian academic historian and writer, born in Queensland. She is Head of the School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies at Monash University, Melbourne. She earned her PhD from the University of Melbourne in 1996. Her books include, and Deserted and Destitute: Motherhood, Wife Desertion and Colonial Welfare (2002), Australia's Forgotten Prisoners: Civilians Interned by the Japanese in World War Two (2007), A History of Australia (co-authored with Mark Peel, 2011), The Pacific War: Aftermaths, Remembrance and Culture (co-edited with Ernest Koh, 2014), and The Battle Within : POWs in postwar Australia (2018). Her awards include the 2018 NSW Premier's History Award, Australian History Prize for The Battle Within : POWs in postwar Australia (2018).

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