Being Australian: Narratives of national identity

Catriona Elder explores the origins, meaning and effects of the many stories we tell about ourselves, and how they have changed over time. She outlines some of the traditional stories and their role in Australian nationalism, and she shows how concepts of egalitarianism, peaceful settlement and sporting prowess have been used to create a national identity.

Elder also investigates the cultural and social perspectives that have been used to critique dominant accounts of Australian identity, including ideas of class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity and race. She shows how these critiques have been, in turn, queried in recent years.

Being Australian is an ideal introduction to studying Australia for anyone interested in understanding Australian society, culture and history.

‘A clever work: incisive and original. At a time when Australian identities have never been more debated, Elder finds an open way through the closed doors which often restrict cultural representations of "Australian-ness".'
Professor Adam Shoemaker, Dean of Arts, ANU

‘This is a timely and significant new analysis—essential reading on issues of identity and our own anxieties about national belonging and what it means to ‘be Australian' in a globalising world.'
Kate Darian-Smith, Professor of Australian Studies and History, University of Melbourne

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