The Australian Legend

What does it mean to be Australian? In 1958 historian Russell Ward defined this, based on his analysis of the first 140 years of evolution from convict to itinerant worker to WWI digger. His work, The Australian Legend was a watershed book that saw the Australian character as something unique and revolutionary in its own way. There have been critics since then and parts of his short-comings arise from the multicultural path that the country has taken since then and his failure to properly recognise women. So, how much of the "Australian Legend" still exists and what has changed?

DELIVERY MODE

• Hybrid (F2F & Online simultaneously)

SUGGESTED READING

• Russell Ward, The Australian Legend

COURSE OUTLINE

• From the convict era to the gold miners and the departure from the norm
• A male dominated society – the dominance of the itinerant workers
• Selector farmers and urbanisation – how did this change things?
• The First World War and the Anzac Legend. More evolution of identity
• Multiculturalism and resurgence of indigenous identity. How much of the old has been retained?
• The future – where are we going?

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Identify the way early non-indigenous settlers began creating a new culture and identity
2. Understand the forces of change in the 19th century
3. Trace the move from individual independence to working man’s paradise to Anzac Legend
4. Project into the future to predict some of the main determinants of change to come