A Historian Against the Current (Paperback)

Don Longo

ISBN 10: 1743058268 / ISBN 13: 9781743058268

Published by Wakefield Press, Kent Town, 2021

About this Item

Paperback. The life and work of Australian historian Austin Gough (1926-1997) reflect the paradoxes and contradictions of Australia's intellectual and political life during the 20th century. After a difficult childhood and dispiriting early careers, he had a meteoric rise in the academy, in the UK (Warwick University) and Australia (Monash and Adelaide), with writings on the Catholic Church and a reputation as an inspirational teacher.An erudite conservative with a matchless flair for polemics and a taste for controversy, Gough became a harsh critic of a left-leaning academy and the radicalism of the post-1968 generation in the Labor governments from 1975 to 1996. More broadly, his critiques articulate a cultural crisis in the West as new ideological perspectives contested Australia's traditional certainties, the legacies of British colonialism and the post-War social and political compact.His life and work shed light on what it means to be an Australian public intellectual and academic. They also contain important lessons in personal fortitude and public audacity. The life and work of Australian historian Austin Gough (1926-1997) reflect the paradoxes and contradictions of Australia's intellectual and political life during the 20th century. He had a meteoric rise in the academy, in the UK (Warwick University) and Australia, with writings on the Catholic Church and a reputation as an inspirational teacher. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781743058268

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Historian Against the Current (Paperback)
• Publisher: Wakefield Press, Kent Town
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1743058268
• ISBN 13: 9781743058268
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

The life and work of Australian historian Austin Gough (1926–1997) reflect the paradoxes and contradictions of Australia’s intellectual and political life during the 20th century. After a difficult childhood and dispiriting early career, he had a meteoric rise in the academy, in the UK (Warwick University) and Australia (Monash and Adelaide), with writings on the Catholic Church and a reputation as an inspirational teacher.

An erudite conservative with a matchless flair for polemics and a taste for controversy, Gough became a harsh critic of a left-leaning academy and the radicalism of the post-1968 generation in the Labor governments from 1975 to 1996. More broadly, his critiques articulate a cultural crisis in the West as new ideological perspectives contested Australia’s traditional certainties, the legacies of British colonialism and the postwar social and political compact.

His life and work shed light on what it means to be an Australian public intellectual and academic. They also contain important lessons in personal fortitude and public audacity.