Based at the Australian National University’s prestigious Indigenous History Centre, Maria Nugent has shaped global conversations about colonial legacies through her innovative blend of archival scholarship and community collaboration. Her current focus areas include:
“The most impactful histories emerge from sustained dialogue between keepers of knowledge and interpreters of records.” — Nugent, 2023 ANU Lecture Series
We’ve followed Maria Nugent’s scholarly contributions for over two decades, observing her evolution into one of Australia’s foremost authorities on Indigenous historical narratives and colonial encounters. As a historian at the Australian National University’s School of History, her work bridges academic rigor with public engagement, redefining how museums and institutions approach Indigenous collections.
This groundbreaking 2018 anthology co-edited with Sarah Carter dismantles Eurocentric monarchical narratives by analyzing how Indigenous communities across the British Empire interpreted and responded to Victoria’s symbolic power. Through meticulous examination of oral histories and material culture, the contributors reveal how First Nations peoples engaged in diplomatic dialogue through royal imagery. The work’s cross-disciplinary methodology combining art history with postcolonial theory has become standard in imperial studies curricula.
Nugent’s 2021 collaboration with Gaye Sculthorpe revolutionized provenance research through its forensic tracking of 87 Aboriginal objects across 46 UK institutions. The study’s innovative “biographical approach” to museum artifacts demonstrated how material items served as active participants in colonial power negotiations. Its impact led directly to revised acquisition policies at the British Museum and National Museums Scotland.
This 2005 seminal work recontextualized Australia’s foundational colonial site through Gadigal perspectives. By juxtaposing Cook’s 1770 landing accounts with ongoing Aboriginal stewardship practices, Nugent established the model for place-based historiography now adopted by UNESCO heritage sites globally. The book’s oral history preservation techniques remain benchmark methodologies in public history projects.
Nugent prioritizes projects that reactivate museum archives through Indigenous collaboration, as seen in her 2021 Manchester Museum partnership that repatriated knowledge through community workshops. Successful pitches should identify understudied collections with clear pathways for co-creative outcomes.
Her recent work tracing Aboriginal breastplates through multiple Commonwealth institutions demonstrates interest in objects that embody complex global journeys. Pitches mapping colonial object trajectories across three or more countries align with her current Australian Research Council-funded projects.
The 2023 “Sounding Collections” initiative Nugent co-led at Cambridge shows growing interest in non-textual research approaches. Proposals incorporating soundscapes, material replications, or digital modeling of artifacts receive particular consideration.
Following her advisory role for the National Museum’s “Encounters” exhibition, Nugent seeks projects that translate scholarly findings into public programming. Pitches should outline both peer-reviewed and community-facing deliverables.
With 25+ years of continuous engagement with La Perouse communities, Nugent prioritizes proposals demonstrating decade-scale commitment frameworks rather than one-off projects.
“Nugent’s scholarship doesn’t just interpret history—it transforms how institutions reckon with their own legacies.” — Australian Historical Association Citation, 2022
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