ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book begins by outlining the emergence of Indigenous testimony as a force within Australian public culture. It focuses on the period between 1997 and 2000, which formed the zenith of Australia's popular reconciliation movement. The book examines responses to Bringing them Home, from the work of public intellectuals to the actions of "ordinary" Australians. It understands settler responses to Indigenous testimony as a part of a broader contestation over the place of history within the nation, and argues that discourses on settler witnessing have worked to produce a loose community of Australians committed to national renewal. The book focuses on the place of witnessing in public culture, with an exploration of more focused, creative responses to Indigenous testimony. It uses the 2007 surf-documentary Bra Boys as a way of opening a discussion of the ways settler Australians have witnessed to their own experiences.
