Settlers, War, and Empire in the Press

involvement in overseas conflicts to conduct a nuanced and sophisticated examination of the settler colonial psyche. ... His sensitive reading and articulate prose afford rich insights into the ways that newspaper rhetoric served the shifting forms of nineteenth century settler colonialism." (Carolyn Holbrook, Limina, Vol. 24 (2), 2019)


"Apart from the scrupulous analysis and convincing arguments, an evident advantage of this book lies in its deep contextualisation. Written in a literary fashion, relevant historical backgrounds are clearly described, which makes the book also accessible to readers with limited knowledge of colonialism and Australian history. This is a well-researched and thoughtfully argued book, deserving of a wide readership." (Yi Guo, Media History, Vol. 25 (3), 2019)

"Hutchinson always plucks the right quote from a report, leader or letter to an editor, teases its meanings out at just the right length, and comments insightfully on them. ... Hutchinson does more than simply point to yet another reason for colonial Australians forming and joining military expeditions. He unites the normally segregated histories of Australian frontier conflict and Australian expeditionary wars ... ." (Craig Wilcox, Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, Vol. 104, 2019)

"Hutchinson's new book, as part of an important series on the subject, necessarily involves a sustained literature review, while drawing together earlier concepts and new insights. ... a thorough and penetrating study." (Denis Cryle, Australian Journal of Politics and History, March 12, 2019)

"Settlers, War, and Empire in the Press is a true heir of the New Imperial History, and builds on the work of Simon Potter, Alan Lester and Tony Ballantyne. ... I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with an interestin the history of British settler colonialism, print culture, nineteenth-century Australia and frontier violence with Indigenous peoples." (Kenton Storey, Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History, Vol. 20 (1), Spring, 2019)

"A focused reading of Victorian newspapers to consider the uncertain position of British settlers on the periphery of empire. ... reads Australian engagement in the press as a continual series of shifting negotiations, with settlers always navigating between presenting themselves as servants of empire and independent agents in the imperial project." (Jennifer Fuller, Victorian Periodicals Review, Vol. 51 (4), Winter, 2018)





"What is particularly valuable in Hutchinson's analysis is its explanation of the press as a vehicle for the expression of collective emotion. ... Hutchinson is able to enrich the explanatory power of Patrick Wolfe's description of settler colonialism ... . Taken together Hutchinson's conception of these events within public discourse outline the unsettling contours of the emotional needs that the Australian colonies sought to satisfy through their involvement ... ." (Mick Warren, Postcolonial Studies, November, 15, 2018)

"Settlers, War, and Empire in the Press is a valuable addition to the Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies Series and is, in a myriad of ways, an important contribution to Australian colonial history. Through a careful analysis of Australian colonial reporting of imperial conflicts, Hutchinson has shed light on the ways newspapers both shaped and reflected the sentiment and value of their readers over time." (Nathan Wise, Journal of Australian Colonial History, Vol. 20, 2018)