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Forever in our hearts: the births, deaths and marriages column in the Sydney Morning Herald, 1831-1860

journal contribution
posted on 2020-01-01, 00:00 authored by Kristy HessKristy Hess, Sarah PintoSarah Pinto
This article charts the emergence of the births, deaths and marriages column in the colonial Australian
press. Using Australia’s oldest continuing newspaper the Sydney Morning Herald as a case
study, this article examines the evolution of the notices over a 25-year period from the newspaper’s
first publication (as the Sydney Herald) in 1831. We argue that the births, deaths and marriages
notices in the Herald were part of early attempts by colonists to reinforce their respectability
before becoming a practice with widespread appeal that both announced key life events and
marked people’s connection to place. Drawing on the scholarship of Pierre Bourdieu, our analysis
pinpoints the moment these notices were ‘legitimised’ by the journalistic field and marked the birth
of a media ritual in colonial Australian society. We provide historical insight into the ways in which
the news media establish legitimacy in the social spaces they serve.

History

Journal

Media history

Volume

26

Issue

2

Pagination

105 - 121

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Location

Abingdon, Eng.

ISSN

1368-8804

eISSN

1469-9729

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2018, Informa UK Limited

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