Items related to Nationalism and Federalism in Australia
In the climactic years of the federation movement, Edmund Barton coined the slogan 'A nation for a continent'. Australians now take the idea for granted, and often associate it with another cliche, about becoming a nation on the beaches of Gallipoli. Some of them now believe that the logic of national identity leads inevitably to republicanism. In fact the idea that there is, or can be, an Australian nation has had a long and chequered history.
Nationalism and Federalism in Australia traces that history, from the first settlement, which coincided with the origin of the nation-state idea in Europe, to the present day. It explains the origins and development of Australian federalism in the widest context, examining the alienation of the earliest convict settlers; racial attitudes and conflicts; 'nationalist culture'; immigration policy and the effects of immigration; attitudes to the mother country; the survival of provincialism; and changing perceptions of Australia's place in the world.
It offers a challenging and, in view of the 'republican debate', timely reinterpretation. It argues that Australian nationalism developed slowly and unevenly before federation, and that it continued, notwithstanding the centralization of power in Canberra, to be remarkably ambivalent afterwards. In recent decades it has been effectively inhibited by such factors as a new consciousness of Aboriginal problems; 'multiculturalism'; the survival of other national loyalties; and a considerable surrender of sovereignty to international agencies. It has become very much a matter of symbols, a vastly less potent force than the traditional nationalisms of Europe and more recent manifestations in Asia and Africa.
Nationalism and Federalism in Australia traces that history, from the first settlement, which coincided with the origin of the nation-state idea in Europe, to the present day. It explains the origins and development of Australian federalism in the widest context, examining the alienation of the earliest convict settlers; racial attitudes and conflicts; 'nationalist culture'; immigration policy and the effects of immigration; attitudes to the mother country; the survival of provincialism; and changing perceptions of Australia's place in the world.
It offers a challenging and, in view of the 'republican debate', timely reinterpretation. It argues that Australian nationalism developed slowly and unevenly before federation, and that it continued, notwithstanding the centralization of power in Canberra, to be remarkably ambivalent afterwards. In recent decades it has been effectively inhibited by such factors as a new consciousness of Aboriginal problems; 'multiculturalism'; the survival of other national loyalties; and a considerable surrender of sovereignty to international agencies. It has become very much a matter of symbols, a vastly less potent force than the traditional nationalisms of Europe and more recent manifestations in Asia and Africa.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author:
"A readable, enjoyable, and broadly illuminating book."--Choice
"The book is a stimulating and provocative look at the concept of an Australian nation."--American Historical Review
"...this book offers an ambitious attempt to reassess the history and meaning of the earlier processes whereby "Australia" appeared as a federated political entity at the beginning of the twentieth century."--Law and History Review
Winston Gregory McMinn was Associate Professor of History at the University of Newcastle.
Review:
"A readable, enjoyable, and broadly illuminating book."--Choice
"The book is a stimulating and provocative look at the concept of an Australian nation."--American Historical Review
"...this book offers an ambitious attempt to reassess the history and meaning of the earlier processes whereby "Australia" appeared as a federated political entity at the beginning of the twentieth century."--Law and History Review
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherOxford University Press
- Publication date1995
- ISBN 10 0195536673
- ISBN 13 9780195536676
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages328
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Seller Image
Nationalism and Federalism in Australia
Published by
Melbourne; Oxford University Press; 1994
(1995)
ISBN 10: 0195536673
ISBN 13: 9780195536676
Used
Softcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description paperback in good condition, pages tanned; 317 pages. Seller Inventory # 87207
Buy Used
US$ 14.70
Convert currency