Cairns and Cambridge: an Australian anthropologist’s view of the Cambridge expedition’s centenary

Abstract

The Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to the Torres Strait in 1898 was in many ways a watershed for anthropology, for psychology, for Cambridge and for Torres Strait. Its centennial commemoration between 1998 and 2000 was also a watershed, highlighting continuities and ruptures in anthropology from the late 19th to the dawn of the 21st century. In this paper, I focus on just three events in which the centenary was publicly marked. These are: the art exhibition, 'Ilan Pasin'; and two Cambridge University events: the 'Torres Strait Exhibition' and an academic conference, 'Anthropology & Psychology: The Legacy of the Torres Strait Expedition'. Speaking from my position as an Australian anthropologist living and working in Far North Queensland, where the Torres Strait is never far away, I highlight a certain tension between Cairns and Torres Strait, and Cambridge and Torres Strait, so beautifully articulated in distinctive ways in each of these commemorative events. I suggest this tension is productive and that it provides us with a window into understanding what the expedition has come to signify for a number of interested parties.