The Hanged Man and the Body Thief
Finding Lives in a Museum Mystery
By Alexandra Roginski

'Much longer books have been written about crime, anthropology and the history of science, but few have brought these disparate subjects so nimbly and engagingly together.' The Weekend Australian
'This is a fascinating biography that examines provenance and the twinning of colonial and Aboriginal histories.' Sydney Morning Herald
‘…a compelling and original work of history’  Arts Review

To be launched by Bain Attwood
Friday 14 August 2015, 11:15am
Drawing Room, University House, Balmain Crescent, Australian National University, Acton
 
Alexandra Roginski lives in Canberra, where she is a doctoral candidate researching the history of popular phrenology at the Australian National University. Originally from Melbourne, she has written for The Age, the Big Issue, and specialist publications in education, research and development. Her interest in the history of science developed during a period when she was working in medical communications. In 2013, Alexandra was awarded an 1854 Student Scholarship from Museum Victoria, where she has also worked as a research assistant in Indigenous repatriation. This is her first book.

Bain Attwood is Professor of History at Monash University and one of Australia’s leading scholars on Indigenous histories and cultures. His sole-authored books include The Making of the Aborigines (1989), Rights for Aborigines (2003) and Telling the Truth About Aboriginal History (2005). He has also co-authored a book with his colleague Andrew Markus, The 1967 Referendum (1997, revised edition 2007), and edited several collections of essays. His book Possession won the 2010 Ernest Scott Prize for History, awarded for the most distinguished contribution to the history of Australia or New Zealand or to the history of colonisation. Bain has held many prestigious fellowships, including the Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Chair in Australian Studies at Harvard University (2014–15). Earlier fellowships include those held at the Australian National University (2001–03) and the University of Cambridge (2007–08). He has also worked closely with the National Museum of Australia, and written occasionally on Indigenous history for newspapers.

Find out more about The Hanged Man and the Body Thief at www.publishing.monash.edu