Manning Clark Now

Abstract

At the time of his death, Manning Clark enjoyed a celebrity status as an historian and, for many, for his prophet-like role as the country’s conscience. His work has subsequently declined in appreciation—partly affected by right-wing attacks, but largely because a new generation of scholars had moved on to more sectional and identity interests. Interest in the life, rather than the work, has continued somewhat, with three scholarly biographies in the same period. This article traces that process of decline, and revision, and arrives at a sense of the continuing place for Manning Clark.